Clean Slate
by Merble
Summary: AU: She'd abandoned her name and past, moving on from what she'd known for so long after far too much emotional stress. But it all gets dragged back up when she is assigned to interview someone who is claimed to be a psychic and proves to be the real deal. He steps in to help heal her scars and she realizes there's more to him than he allows everyone to see.
1. Blank Space

_I came up for the idea of this story fairly randomly but once I got it in my head I just sort of went with it. This is dedicated to the very wonderful Eien ni Touko and Dragon'sHost here on FF. Please note this is an AU story :)_

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **BLANK SPACE**

Sometimes in life there are times when all you want to do is start over, erase the past and make a new existence for yourself, and often times people got lost to dreams of a new life. For me I wanted to be an unknown, to get rid of my very prominent surname and vanish from the crowd, and so that's what I'd done. After the very unusual death of Layla Heartfilia, which was announced as a natural cause, the press and conspiracy theory junkies all blamed her husband Jude in claims that it was murder; said man had killed himself less than a month afterward, leaving their seventeen-year-old daughter alone in the world. Me.

'Lucky' Lucy Heartfilia. The very rich, beautiful, and compassionate child of the Heartfilia Estate; my father had been a railway, taxi, and transportation tycoon. So upon his death the reporters swarmed, someone even publishing a _very_ private photograph of me kneeling beside his coffin with tears streaming down my face; the fucker had won and award in Bosco for it since they had lowered censored compared to Fiore, exploitation of a minor came into play with the family's legal team and the man was in prison. Fucking prick.

So at the age of eighteen I'd simply donated most of the fortune and estate to charity, taking enough to live comfortably, and legally changed my name before falling off the radar. Fun fact is that sightings of 'Lucy Heartfilia' rival sightings of Sugarboy Presley. I ended up laying low for a year or two, simply using a brown wig to hide my naturally golden hair while colored-contacts became my saviors, and then once the hype died down I'd up and moved from Acalypha to Magnolia.

"Lucy-chan, I have an assignment for you from the boss." My eyes raised, meeting the joyful smile of my immediate superior Jason; his blond hair was the same style as always with one errant lock sticking straight up. "A new one already? I just sent in the article about the new public bath in Shirotsume." As a writer for Magnolia Weekly, the local magazine that was super well known, I got to travel a lot as a job perk; and since the 'Heartfilia Heiress' hype was centered here it allowed me to stay miles ahead of any chances of them discovering the truth.

Jason had the decency to at least try to look apologetic. "I know, Lucy-chan, but you know Matsuki-sama." Unfortunately it was true, our very darling editor enjoyed overloading us with articles, one after the other with barely any time between. "That I do. So what's the assignment?" The blond male across from me was notorious for skimming articles and going to Matsuki when it came to interviews with celebrities or powerful and influential people, which was fine by me, and Jason offered a little chuckle. "Interview." That response, considering it was so short too, made my brows wing up in surprise before I could stop myself. I _never_ got to do interviews, ever, so for me to get one was either that the person wasn't popular or it was someone Jason wanted nothing to do with.

I accepted the information, as well as what the article was supposed to be on, and Jason left with a wave; sipping my coffee, which was sadly very cold after I'd gotten lost in my previous assignment, I then skimmed the document.

 _For the next edition you are to interview Erik Cassava, he's evidently a real psychic and does independent consulting for the local police force, and in order to prove that he's truly a psychic he must give you the code word in the attached manilla folder before you start interviewing._

 _Code Word: Belladonna_

 _The article is going to be on how he realized his powers, what sort of work he does for the local police, and just what the extent of his powers are. Erik's contact information is listed below and the deadline is two weeks from today._

 _-Takahashi Matsuki_

Psychic? That made me snort in amusement, not a cute one either, and I leaned back in my chair. Being a natural skeptic made me discredit any and all attempts off the bat, while I did believe in ghosts and spirits I didn't believe there were people who could see and interact with them, and so the idea of a police ghost talker was pretty funny. "Ah well. If he doesn't get the code work then I don't have to do it." Which I was sincerely hoping he didn't considering I didn't need a waste of my time like this.

With a soft sigh I dialed the number listed and propped my chin in my free hand, the phone rang exactly thrice before a silky female voice sounded. "Cassava residence, Sorano speaking." The girl had a someone husky voice, she sounded cute, and it was almost like she'd just gotten finished with a good lay from the breathy quality to her voice. "My name is Lucille Ashley, I'm a writer for Magnolia Weekly, I was calling for Erik." The words rolled off my tongue with ease, years of speech lessons and etiquette recalled in an instant.

The breathy, husky, voice laughed gently. "So the persistent Matsuki-san finally managed to get Erik to agree to an interview? Impressive, only took him five years, but I digress. Give me one moment." The device was set down, the sound of clicking heels on hardwood became faint, and I was suddenly very curious about this woman. Moments later a smooth tenor voice sounded through the device. "Erik speaking." He had a rather brusque tone, right to the point, I liked it. "Hello, as I told Sorano my name is Lucille Ashley with Magnolia Weekly, I was wondering if we could set up a date to get started on the interview." A soft hum answered, I faintly heard papers shift, and then he let out a low grumble into the device. "Sure, okay. I'm free tomorrow." A quick glance at my day planner revealed an empty square. "As am I. How about we set up a one o'clock appointment over lunch." Pen scribbled on paper on his end. "Meet me at Kravings, on Eighth." My hand stilled, Kravings was my favorite lunch place, and I managed a small hum. "Very well. I'll see you tomorrow, Cassava-san." He grunted and hung up, which prompted me to roll my eyes before I could stop myself, and then I was working on my advice column.

* * *

"Don't fucking start with me, Feathers." I could feel her gaze burning into my back, practically demanding answers, but she wasn't gonna break me this time. It was bad enough that Matsuki had gotten that picture of me as black mail, all for a god damned interview of all things, but the worst part was Laxus' reaction to the article. He'd nearly blown a gasket since the questions were _very_ specific, my job was apparently to get out of the interview any way I could, and so I set up the meeting and prepared myself to find a way to make the writer abandon the story.

Sorano was laughing, a cruel laugh, in her naturally higher pitch instead of her phone sex operator voice that she'd used on the phone with Lucille. "Poor Cobra, one slip up and now Matsuki's got his claws in ya. Oh well. Just make the girl cry, she sounds like some trained bimbo anyway, maybe if you piss of enough writers Matsuki-san will leave us alone." The damned woman went up the stairs before I could even reply, my mind focused on _not_ focusing, and I knew that I was grinding my teeth together as I made my way to the kitchen to finish dinner.

At the table Macbeth was sleeping, snoring rather loudly, with his face pressed into a stack of accounting sheets; I snorted as I pulled him so he was leaning with his had back, the snoring stopping since he wasn't hunched in on himself, and then I was back cooking. Seeing as Sorano, Macbeth, Sawyer, and I had been together since we were kids we simply just lived together rather than apart. We'd been fosters in the ever shitty system, orphans who'd been given away by our parents for some reason or another, and we'd simply stuck together our whole lives.

A loud thump was followed by a curse. "Oh, sorry Macbeth, didn't see ya there." He was fucking lying, per usual, the pair had a fierce rivalry that had stemmed from their crush on the neighbor girl Meredy. "Tch, fucking liar, both of you need to stop acting like prepubescent boys and just talk to the pink haired demon." The looks I got would intimidate anyone else. "Try lacing my food with poison next time and I'll make sure that you're never found again. You forget, fuck wads, I can hear your plans _and_ I have a connection with the cops." They backed off, making me nod at their surprisingly smart move, and I finished the chili before serving myself a bowl and loading it up with hot sauce.

"How you haven't torn up your stomach lining with that shit is beyond me." Sorano commented as she strode into the room, sniffing the pot before grabbing her own bowl, and I simply raised an eyebrow. _'Thanks, Nii-san.'_ Of the lot of them she was the one who _refused_ to verbalize her kindness, preferring to keep that bright and smiling part of her locked away, and I understood that. It was just how she was, the gleam in her eyes at the very unnoticeable incline of my head was enough, and Macbeth grabbed a bowl as did Sawyer. "I love it when I don't have to cook." The speed obsessed stunt driver commented with a chuckle, earning a scowl from Sorano, and Macbeth snorted.

"Well considering your last meal tried to actually eat _us?_ I love it when you don't have to cook too." The pair began snapping at one another, both mentally and verbally, so I very quickly grabbed a knife and stabbed the wooden table between them. In the same spot. Just like ever other _fucking_ time. "Chill. The fuck. Out." My words were clipped, I couldn't help how fucking mad I was with everything happening, and the two wisely fell silent. I'd finished my bowl, setting it in the sink, and stalked to my room on the third floor. I liked it hot, the cold and I didn't get along at all, and so I had a room where the heat went. Up.

I couldn't help but dread the following day, nosy reporters in a place with a lot of people, and I knew that if I didn't bring one of the guys from the force that Laxus would have my head. Certain questions were forbidden, Matsuki-san knew that, so a cop had to join me in order to keep the reporter and magazine out of the loop of certain arrests. _'I really hope it's Rogue that gets sent. I can't handle Flame Fuck, Star Wars, Pincushion, or even sir Sparks A Lot himself.'_

 _'This had better be worth it. Fuck.'_

* * *

 **The foundation has been set. Please tell me what you think so far!**


	2. Mind Wipe

_Second chapter is here! Since I wasn't totally clear prior this is an AU story, sorry for any confusion. Please enjoy!_

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **MIND WIPE**

 _'Should I get the chocolate banana or the strawberry smoothie?'_

 _'Oh look they have star mango flavor again!'_

 _'That fucking douche is_ cheating _on me?!'_

Being a mind reader wasn't a fun thing, no matter what anyone tried to tell me, they didn't have to deal with the near constant stream of voices; if I even accidentally caught someone's gaze then there it was, total access to their current thoughts. I chanced a look to my left, where Officer Pincushion was walking with his arms crossed over his chest, and a sick part of me was glad that he was feeling just as pissed off with the interview as I was.

Gajeel Redfox was not a conversationalist, he didn't mince words, and if an out-of-line question was asked then it would be shut down without hesitation. Plus he was scary looking enough to make a child cry. Still funny after several years of knowing him too. "Tch. Waste of time." He growled low as we stepped into the gas station turned diner, looking around for someone who looked vaguely like a reporter, and irritation swept me.

 _'The place is a total dive but well worth it.'_

 _'I bet I can convince that sexy blond to come home with me.'_

 _'Fucking waste of time. Interviewing a supposed psychic. Matsuki-sama is seriously pissing me off.'_ Bingo. Found her. The chocolate eyed blond was leaning back in her seat, a glass of water in front of her, and with a wave to the hostess I strode over with Gajeel right on my heels. Cute face, great body, huge tits. Sorano was right, she looked like a bimbo, but as I slid across from her with Gajeel I realized just how wrong her appearance was. The girl was sharp. _'They didn't ask who I was and I sure as hell didn't publish any of my photos. Either the hostess sold me out or Matsuki-sama did.'_ Rationalize, she was trying, and I couldn't help but snort.

"Hate to break it to you but I can read ya' like a book." Her eyes narrowed. _'Seriously? That is one of the most cliche lines to start with.'_ That thought made me snort, she did have a point after all, but I wasn't here to play nice. So I crossed my arms over my chest and watched her eyes move between the two of us before disbelief showed on her face as she studied Gajeel. _'Oh shit. Christ. Not what I need right now. I really hope he doesn't recognize me.'_ That was fun, she knew Pincushion, but then she spoke up. "I see. Go ahead and give me the code word, if you can't do it then it's just lunch with no interview." Gajeel's brows raised in mild surprise. "Matsuki is off his rocker." Lucille snorted, even though it wasn't a cute feminine one the sound was pretty funny, and I couldn't stop myself from mirroring her when I caught the tail end of her thoughts. _'He doesn't even know the half of it, Matsuki-san is the reason I ultimately ended up decking him. Really hope he doesn't remember.'_ Now I was interested, someone had decked the pierced officer?

"I have to hear this story. You decked a cop?" Her body froze, shoulders rigid, and beside me Gajeel's eyes widened before narrowing into dangerous slits. "That was you?" Being someone who loved stirring shit up, yes I am a conniving bastard, this was fun for me. "Yes, it was me, but I was having a really bad night and you weren't in uniform!" Had to admit her answering glare was pretty intimidating for a woman, her eyes blazed with fire I'd rarely seen in someone as petite as she was, and Redfox grunted. "Undercover, I was scoping out the club since we got reports of date rape drugs." That had been a whole fiasco I'd been forced to reveal, per usual, and Lucille let out a small little sound in the back of her throat.

It was as if she'd tunnel-visioned, forgot that I was even there and that he _was_ still a cop, and now I could see the layout of her mind a little better. Unlike most people, who had no organization, hers was perfectly easy to sort through. Like a filing cabinet. Work, entertainment, personal, memories, and various other things were sectioned off for easy access. It was quiet too, the occasional random insult here for there, but her head was actually pretty...nice. Most people, _especially_ Flame Fuck, had random ass thoughts flying around at all times. "Then why were you following me home?" I pulled at the memory, deciding to see her side of it, and it really helped that she was recalling it at the moment. Couldn't lie, I was interested in sorting through her pretty little head, I was really thinking about actually doing the interview.

Pincushion made a weird sound, like a choked off growl, and Blondie replied with her own irritated noise. If they were going at each other's throats I'd even venture to say they'd make an interesting couple considering Gajeel's 'on-the-rocks' girlfriend was always nervous around him because of his sheer muscle and appearance alone. Sue wasn't even all that nice or caring of a girl, or in Sorano's opinion she wasn't that cute either, the only base to _that_ relationship was good sex. "I wasn't following _you_ , stupid, it was the fucking prick that was stalking you. Not my fault you hid behind a trashcan, in an alleyway, and then when I happened to check the alley instead of walking past it you'd decided to fight." I saw the entire thing in a moment as Lucille recalled it vividly, her crouching in the dark as footsteps echoed around her, the string of curses in her mind before her resolve firmed; the punch though, I couldn't deny, was fucking brilliant.

I was laughing before I could stop myself. "Nice hit, Blondie, he had a black eye for days." I couldn't help but smirk at the small touch of pride, thought she had tried to go for apologetic, and Gajeel grumbled as the waitress _finally_ appeared. "What can I get for everyone?" The girl was in a bad mood, she was the one with the cheating boyfriend, and I simply ordered myself a glass of unsweetened tea and their spicy chicken tortilla soup with a jalapeno cheddar sandwich. Gajeel's order rarely ever changed, burger cooked rare with a glass of water, the waitress had to be rather new if she didn't know it by now. Lucille surprised both of us, most girls were all 'oh no I can't get fat' when it came to food, she ordered a greasy plate of fries smothered in cheese with a grilled chicken sandwich. "Right, codeword?" I met gazes with her, peeking back in her head, and went through the 'work' section before rolling my eyes. "Belladonna." Her lips curled low into a slight frown. _'There's no fucking way. Matsuki-sama sold me out to get this interview. Maybe I should just fucking lie and tell him he's wrong.'_ That was funny. "I don't want to do this just as much as you do, Blondie, so I'm all for calling the damn interview off, but Matsuki-san cornered me. Let's just get it over with." I could not risk him publishing the photo of me and Kinana that he'd someone gotten his hands on.

* * *

I turned on the recorder, it'd be easier than writing since I could just type it all down later, and studied the men across from me. Erik had mahogany hair that was rather spiky (the girly part of my brain wondered how soft it was) with indigo eyes, right eye had a scar ripped through it too, and he had slight points to his ears. Genetics were a fun thing. Caramel skin, rough hands (the hands of a laborer and not a pencil pusher), and a decent bit of muscle showed on his frame. The charcoal gray tee shirt was _just_ tight enough to show off that he was built without it being too tight, his cargo pants were tan and loose and tucked into steel-toe boots; if I'd passed him on the street he'd garner a second look, or a third. His eyes twinkled. Mother fucking mind reader. I formed a mental image of two middle fingers. _'I take it back, not even worth a second or third look, not cute or worth it.'_

Gajeel on the other hand also had tanned skin, his eyes were crimson, and his black hair was pulled into a high ponytail; it was easy to see his black locks were wild as hell, thick too, and piercings decorated his face and most of his body actually. _'I wonder if he's pierced on his dick too.'_ I quickly switched my body off (focus dammit) and tamped down the blush that threatened to form. "Right. So what exactly are your powers? Just mind reading or is there something else with that?" It was strange, his ears actually twitched, watching his body cues was misleading. A shift to the way his was sitting indicated nervousness, the twitching ears signified listening, but his face was very much blank. "Mind reading is the biggest part of it, actually, but stemming from that I can search a person's memories with prolonged eye contact. You mind is pretty interesting, actually, very organized." It was an oddly endearing compliment.

"Wait...so you can just rifle through people's minds? I take it that's what you do to help the police force." The pair of men nodded, though I couldn't help but notice the way Gajeel's mouth pulled into a tighter line. "Yes. I come in and read the minds of the suspects, find any traces of evidence they might have left behind without realizing it, and then they're booked. I do not just go around reading people for the fun of it." The way his tone sharpened prompted my heart to catch, he was firm in his belief that it was wrong to just simply read people, even with what he'd been given he did his best to give privacy.

"When did you notice you had this power?" The next question came out, a little more breathy than I'd intended, and he crossed his arms; it was hard not to notice the way his muscles tensed and shifted, he was really good looking after all, and a smug look formed on his face. Fucking hell. _'Stop reading my mind!'_ That made him bark in laughter and I couldn't stop the exasperated noise that left my throat. "He does that to everyone, just finish asking the questions." Gajeel's voice was low, a warning tone, and I knew it'd be smarter to comply. He could still get me for assaulting an officer if he really wanted to. "I'm waiting on his answer." Said psychic rolled his eyes. "I noticed it when I was thirteen, blondie, that's when I started answering what people were thinking at least. Took me years to figure out how to tune people's minds out." So he'd forced himself to learn control, no wonder since people were always thinking and Magnolia was in no way a small city.

" _Oi, metal face, we need bleach breath at the station."_

The radio on Gajeel's hip went off and my brows raised. "Metal face? Bleach breath? What kind of shit goes on in the station that we're missing here?" I was amused, hard not to be with nicknames like that, and Erik made a growling noise while Gajeel sneered. "None of the magazine's business. Keep his involvement with us out of the article." My reply was near immediate. "That's basically what Matsuki-sama wanted me to write about, dammit, so what am I supposed to do? I don't have the pull to cancel the article." I really didn't, no authority despite being a loyal writer for five years, and Erik snorted. "We'll talk to the Chief about Matsuki." The pair left, making me foot the bill (those assholes), and I finished off my food and switched the recorder off. "That went terribly." After leaving some bills on the table I left too, heading for the bus stop, and contemplated the mystery that was Erik Cassava.

Attractive as hell, a major smart ass, and a mind reader. A mind reader that knew I was checking him out. The snort of amusement wasn't cute, they never were, and I paused when my phone began ringing. "Lucille Ashley speaking." A voice I didn't recognize played through my device, a smooth male voice that did wonderfully awful things to my already awakening body after being around two hot guys, and I almost missed what he'd said. _"Miss Ashley, my name is Laxus Dreyar, I need you to come down to the police station."_ Why?! Had Gajeel sold me out?! "May I inquire why?" I heard a snort on the other end and resolved myself to stop doing it. It was a manly sound and it sounded much better from him than it ever would from me. _"_ _Sting Eucliff, Raios Cheney, and Wendy Marvell were brought in by Officer Dragneel. The paperwork says that you are Wendy's legal guardian."_ What the hell had she done? Wendy had always been a good kid. Evidently I made some kind of panicked noise. _"Wendy isn't in trouble, she did nothing wrong, she just happened to be with the idiots at the time."_ I breathed a loud sigh of relief. "I'll be there in a few minutes." I pulled on the yellow cord to stop the bus, a taxi would be my best bet, and wondered if I'd run into Erik and Gajeel.

 _'I sure as hell hope not.'_

* * *

 **Voila! Chapter two!**


	3. Down Town

_Bear with me, please, I don't have a Beta reader and I don't normally write as a third person perspective. I went back and fixed the last chapter after reading it over twice and catching some errors. If anyone would like to help with proof reading please PM me._

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **DOWN TOWN**

The building was just what you'd think a police station would look like, brick walls and a fancy entrance arch with the letters 'MPD' designed into the ornate entrance. As I stepped into the building I paused at the security door, waiting patiently as the officer at the desk reached for the pager, and I couldn't help but notice the desk worker was massive in height and bulk. Intimidating didn't even cover it considering the scar trailing down from his right eye, stitch pattern, but I offered him a kind smile. He returned that smile and I could hear his happiness in his voice. _"Name and reason for your visit?"_ He had a deep voice, somewhat rough, but with the smile and happiness in his voice it wasn't scary. "My name is Lucille Ashley, I'm here for Wendy Marvell." That made his grin widen. _"Alright, please prepare your ID and leave your bag with me."_ I nodded, understanding, and shut off my cellphone before grabbing my wallet. The door swung open, allowing me access to the front desk, and I handed him my ID as well as my purse.

"Very good, Miss Ashley, the Chief will be here to bring you to Wendy in just a moment. I must say though I'm happy to meet you in person, my sister Lisanna always writes to your advice column." Recognition clicked right away. "Oh, Lisanna Strauss? I get multiple letters from her every week so I always try to slip at least one in every issue." He offered a good spirited laugh. "I know, she's always raving about it, I'm Elfman Strauss." He extended a hand and I shook it with a firm hold of my own, earning a small glimmer of respect, and he turned to the door on the left as it opened. Were all the fucking officers good looking? In the five years I'd lived in Magnolia I'd never had a run in with them before and now I was sort of wondering why I hadn't. Blond hair, spiked with a tuft of bangs on the center of his forehead, and stormy blue eyes shimmered; he had to be at least six-foot-two, buff as hell, and damn he looked good in that uniform. "Miss Ashley, I am Laxus Dreyar, the Chief of Police. Please follow me." I nodded and waved to Elfman before following after the blond Adonis.

"Sting and Raios admitted to taunting a fight to start, Wendy tried to stop it before it could get out of hand, and it was all because Sting wanted your sister to meet his older brother Natsu." Laxus' tenor voice sounded as we walked together, toward the interrogation rooms, and I stepped into the room where a group of people waited. Gajeel, of fucking course, looked like he was ready to strangle the fifteen-year-old boy with sleek black hair and red eyes; Erik looked bored, leaning on the wall, Wendy looked terrified, and the fifteen-year-old blond was nursing a black eye while the rose haired officer glared down at him. "Lucy-nee!" Wendy ran over, my arms wrapping around her shoulders as she hugged me, and I could feel her shaking. "Hey now, what's wrong? You're not in trouble, Wendy." I reminded her, making her raise her head, and she whimpered. "B-but...if the foster people-" I shook my head. "You only got brought here because your friends decided to show off, you didn't commit a crime, so that old bat who runs the foster system can suck a bag of dicks. I'm not letting her take you away." Being an only child had made me crave the affection that a sibling provided, younger or older, and when I'd moved to Magnolia my first encounter with Wendy was less than stellar.

"Promise?" She asked with tear filled eyes. "I promise. You know I'm waiting on the paper work to clear for the adoption to finalize, then you'll be Wendy Marvell-Ashley." Her lip quivered and I held her close to me, I was fiercely protective of the girl, I knew that I was being watched but I could care less. "Shit- ow! Natsu don't hit me!" Sting whined. "You don't talk like that in front of a lady." The rose haired officer, Natsu Dragneel, reminded the teen. "Right. Wendy I didn't realize...if I'd known I wouldn't have done that." It was well known that if a foster parent, sibling, or guardian let their child run loose and get in trouble the penalties were very strict. "I know." Her reply was a whimper, my darling sister had major abandonment problems, and I sighed gently. "Let's go home, Wendy, I know you have that report to finish." She nodded against my abdomen. "Yes, I want that done long before summer break is over, Porlyusica-hakase said it's a good portion of our first semester grade." I nodded, ruffling her hair, and offered a wave to the room.

"Thank you for calling me, Chief Dreyar." He dipped his head. "Of course, Miss Ashley. Oh, did the interview go well?" I tamped down my blush. "It was interrupted and Officer Redfox told me to keep Erik's involvement with the police out of the article." Storm blue met crimson as the two regarded one another. "Finish it here, we'll all sit in, and if something can't be posted I'll let you know." Laxus offered, earning one of my best smiles, and Erik scoffed. "Of fucking- ow!" Natsu was evidently not above smacking the hell out of the psychic either. "Come on, everyone sit down." The table was large enough the we were all comfortable, I pulled out my recorder again, and faced Erik Cassava. Still hot as fuck, still reading my fucking mind, but the red mark on his arm from Natsu was pretty funny. "Watch it." He growled, angry, and I resisted the urge to giggle.

"Right. So you first discovered your ability at thirteen. I imagine it was a huge fiasco; how often do people ask you to read their minds?" His unamused scowl made me realize it was far more often than he'd ever wanted. "All the da-time. Mostly these morons around us, my close friends." He censored himself, to not get hit by Officer Whack-a-Mole, and I hummed gently. "So you interrogate criminals, investigate crime scenes, and yet nobody really bothers you about your powers. I imagine it's your _charming_ personality that's the cause?" It only took him a second to catch what I'd meant and his eyes narrowed before a smirk grew on his face. I was playing, at least that was my intention, seeing as he seemed to be the type to trade insults rather than compliments. "Ya know, Blondie, I can dish some dirt on you that I know you don't want spread. Keep your sarcasm to yourself." My brows lifted at his challenge and I couldn't help it. "But you obviously value everyone's right to their privacy if you're so focused on _not_ focusing. Your body cues and face are at odds, you don't want to appear that you're trying." He rose to the challenge, in that moment, and then I knew that it was far too late to stop him.

But I had to try. "Wait-" His mouth fell open, his eyes wide, and the words that tumbled out of his mouth made my heart thud in my chest.

* * *

I could hardly believe it, part of me didn't want to, and I couldn't stop the words as they tumbled out of my mouth. "You're Lucy Heartfilia?!" Silence, utter silence, filled the room as all gazes turned to look at her; the heiress to an estate, someone regarded as a fucking princess, was writing for a magazine and living like a normal person. "No. I _was_ Lucy Heartfilia before my mother and father died, I changed my name and left that behind, I don't want anything to do with that life anymore. I'll manage to write an article with what I have, thanks, Wendy and I are leaving." Pain flashed across her face, a stabbing pain, and she took her sister's hand and left. Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel shuffled as I ran my hand through my hair.

It had been a playful exchange, it hadn't meant to escalate, and I had just told six people her secret. "None of you, I mean It too, none of you are to say a damn word. I have to go talk to her." I was already out the door before the others even got their heads on straight but I knew that Laxus would handle it, he was one of the few people who could drill the need to keep the news quite into Natsu and Sting. My feet slammed on the pavement as I ran, following the address that I'd caught in skimming through her head, and when I managed to turn down Strawberry Street about ten minutes later I stood frozen. Walking beside Lucille and Wendy was someone that I didn't want to see, someone that could anger me without actually speaking a damn word, and Dan Straight offered her a dazzling smile that earned him a hard shove right into the canal.

I laughed as he floundered, breaking the surface in a loud splash, and jogged to catch up to Lucille. "Hey! Lucille! Wait." Her eyes darkened as she turned to look at me. _'What the hell does he want?!'_ Ouch, that hurt, but I grabbed her hand before she could try and point at me or run. "I'm sorry. I know I fucked up, big time, and I promise that I won't tell a soul and neither will the others." Her brown eyes closed and she let out a sigh. "Fine. Yes, that's fine." I could practically feel how upset she was. "I just finished doing a job with the police force, I had to get into the head of a man known for human trafficking, and I ended up finding and saving around thirty kids who had been kidnapped to be pimped out." I was offering her information, it was the very least I could do for what I'd gone and blabbed, and I watched some light return to her eyes. Wendy gave me a cautious look, the girl had known who Lucille was so I knew she'd be okay not to tell anyone, and I felt the petite hand slide to hold mine. "Come on, we'll talk inside." That made me pause. She was inviting me inside?! _'I don't need Dan to hear anything about Erik's job or any chance of my name getting out.'_ Made sense. Plus she was thinking about me, rather touching, and I followed her into the apartment building.

Dan wouldn't be forgotten though. "Oi! Lucy what the fuck are you doing? He's are dick, why are you inviting him over to your place?" My blood boiled, a roaring of white noise filled my head, and I was on him the moment he stood up. "Why the fuck is it any of _your_ business who she invites over? Last I checked you're not dating, in fact I find it funny that you can't take a hint when she tells you no." I felt her hand tighten around mine and was pulled back, hard, by the petite woman. "Stop it." She hissed at me before turning to look at Dan. "I'm inviting him over because he and I need to talk. As for your offer earlier I'm going to decline again, as I always do, because I'm not interested in being with you. You're clingy, loud, and annoying. So back off or I _will_ get a restraining order against you." Watching his eyes lose their light was a reward after the way this guy had fucked with Sorano's heart, in fact he was lucky that he even had eyes anymore after he'd cheated on her, and even then his playboy ways didn't change.

"But Lulu-chama!" Lucille's back went ramrod straight, her grip on my hand tightened, and she let go to deliver a dazzling left hook that knocked him right back into the canal. "I said to back off!" Her anger was spectacular, she was sexy as fuck when she was mad, and I suddenly felt a pull I hadn't ever felt before. I wanted to know more about her without reading her mind, I wanted her to trust me enough to open up to me, but I couldn't. If she got tangled with me then things were sure to head south for her, and Wendy, so I did what I knew I could and tamped down on that budding desire. I wouldn't endanger her any more than I should, considering that _he_ was still out there, I was still being hunted and I would not get her involved.

Lucille grabbed my hand and dragged us away, Wendy the other one being pulled, and as we entered the modest apartment I took a casual glance. Photos of her and Wendy were on the tables, school photos on the walls along with special awards, and it was obvious she cared very deeply for her little sister and that she liked to show off how amazing the girl was. Wendy's mind was a lot like Lucille's mind was, organized and neat, it had to be an effect she had on those around her. That or the two were just special. "Please take a seat." Wendy headed for her room, to do her anatomy report for her science class, and that left me with the blond woman. "Lucille-" Her hand raised. "Call me Lucy, please, I...I don't mind." I watched her face and took a quick peek into her mind. _'There's no harm, I still let people call me Lucy since I can say it's a nickname for Lucille.'_ Very true and very smart, it allowed her less of a slip up if someone happened to call her Lucy instead of Lucille, and I applauded her silently.

The recorder clicked on once again. "So you helped shut down a human trafficking ring?" I nodded. "Yea. We set up a fake kidnapping, had one of the female officers walk in plain clothes with her daughter and Asuka wandered off like she was supposed to. What Erigor, the fucker that ran the ring, didn't know was that she had a tracking device inside her boot and several officers watching them via satellite. Once he was tagged I searched his mind and we raided the warehouse he was using as a base, he had around thirty kids that were being drugged so he could pimp them out in the bad areas of town, the kids ranged from seven to fifteen and are all going through rehab at the moment." Her brown eyes were wide, horrified, and she was worried for the sake of the children. The blond had a huge heart, despite her own darkness, and then she lowered her gaze to my wrists.

"I don't mean to...but you...are those from shackles?" I had faint scars, very faint, and the only way people caught them was if they were familiar with the marks that a tight shackle could leave. "Yea." I had known she was analyzing me, it was just something she did, and I wouldn't answer everything but I'd give her something. "Sorry. Back to the interview. So can you sense presences or find a person based on their thoughts? Like would you be able to find me in a crowd by focusing on me?" Interesting, she was giving me ideas to try now, and I shook my head. "No, nothing quite that complex, though now you're giving me ideas." I watched her eyes sparkle and decided that I liked when she was happier. "Oh, am I? Maybe I should stop offering up suggestions then." Her playful tone was back, her lips curled, and I knew she was relaxing a bit more. Somehow that one question I'd given her a one word answer to allowed her to loosen up enough to push aside her sadness and anger for now.

"Nah, I like it, I'm not the creative type so I appreciate some ideas." Her laugh was like a sweet melody and I tamped down the smile that threatened to form. I made it my responsibility to keep her secret, any way I could, because I would not let that laugh die.

* * *

 **There's chapter three. Next chapter will include:**

 **-Sorano meets Gray (Erik's POV)  
-Gajeel dumps Sue (Erik's POV)  
-Macbeth and Sawyer invite Meredy and her family over for dinner (Erik's POV)**

 **-Laxus gets rid of an unwanted guest (Lucy's POV)  
-Levy punches someone out (Lucy's POV)  
-Erza Scarlet is a scary lady cop (Lucy's POV)**


	4. Family Dinner

_I'm experimenting this chapter by adding a few more perspectives. Scary Cop Erza is written in Laxus' perspective and I wanted to write Sorano's meeting with Gray from her mind rather than Erik reading her mind. Please tell me if you like the change of perspective or if I should just keep it to Lucy and Erik._

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **FAMILY DINNER**

I couldn't have imagined today being bad, yesterday Lucy and I had finished the interview the afternoon prior, and after a day at the station of sorting through files and doing desk work I had expected to come home to a simple dinner since it was Sorano's night to cook. Instead I came home to Macbeth and Sawyer scrambling to clean up as Sorano yelled at them, catching the jumble between her screeching and their thoughts I gathered that Macbeth had _finally_ gotten the balls to talk to the pink haired demon girl. Meredy and her family were coming over for dinner. "Sorano. Stop shouting, it won't change anything, I'll help you cook." Of the four of us it was only Sorano and I who could cook a decent meal so no wonder they'd picked tonight.

"Erik...I'm going to murder them." Her voice was low, husky, and I glanced over at her. "Don't use your work voice, Sora, we're not paying customers." Her scowl loosened, she allowed the barest of smiles to grace her face, and I decided to give her some more news to smile about. "You missed Dan getting pushed into the canal." Her purple eyes widened slightly and she glanced at me as she worked on the vegetables. "Really? What happened?" He'd been the reason she shut her emotions down, why she closed people out, and any chance at revenge was welcome. "He was trying to flirt with Lucille, when I went to chase her down, and she got mad so she just pushed him clean into the water. Then when he played Mister Try Hard she smashed his nose with a left hook. I think she broke it." Sorano's eyes twinkled with perverse glee, she'd done more than break his nose once I got my own licks in, and a smile formed on her face.

 _'Thank God I'm not the only girl who thinks he's awful. That fucker deserves more than a broken nose though.'_ She wasn't thinking of my power, which was okay because I _liked_ that they forgot so easily, and I smirked beside her. "I'll finish up, I know you have a certain decorum for your appearance when we have guests." She nodded and headed up the stairs, she hated people seeing her without makeup or a decent outfit, her ponytail and sweats wouldn't cut it for a dinner with guests. Macbeth entered the room minutes later. "Alright. Living room and dining room are shining, Sawyer is almost done on the bathroom." My eyes shifted to look at him, his hair properly combed and he didn't look too bad in a normal pair of jeans and tee shirt, and I couldn't help but huff slightly. "You owe Sora...big time." Macbeth hung his head. ' _Yea I do. Damn, I'm glad she didn't just beat the shit out of me.'_ I laughed.

"For as cruel as she is...we're family." He blinked and nodded, grabbing plates and dishes, and I noticed the size of the stack. "We're feeding eight?" Macbeth grimaced. "Meredy is the one in charge of cooking for her family...I just invited them all." Sorano returned, taking out glasses from the cabinet, and snorted. "You always do this shit ass backward, huh? You're doing a 'meet the family' and you haven't even asked her on a date." Macbeth's smile faded and I laughed, openly, before setting the finished meal on the table. Baked chicken stuffed with fontina cheese and mushrooms, rice pilaf, and mixed greens was the menu and it looked fantastic. "Sora I'll take your next dinner night." Macbeth offered, earning her surprised look, and a knock sounded on the door. The woman turned to answer it, seeing as she was always the one to greet the guests, and I noticed her mind blank out for a moment.

* * *

I wasn't expecting much when I answered the door, truth be told, I just knew that Meredy and her family were coming over. I assumed it would be a father and mother type deal but the group of four in front of me all looked close in age. "Hello, welcome to the Cassava residence. You must be Meredy and her family, please come in." I moved aside to allow them to enter but I'd been frozen when I saw _him_ standing there, royal blue eyes had met my own and an easy going smile had shown on that charming face, and I knew that I needed to _get it together_. The last time I'd even let someone in that wasn't Erik, Sawyer, or Macbeth...it had been the best and worst experience of my life. I'd thought Dan only saw me, I'd assumed I was the only one with his ridiculously cute displays of affection...but I had been wrong.

"Thanks for inviting us all over. I'm Meredy. This is Ultear, Gray, and Jellal." The pink haired girl spoke with a somewhat high pitched, higher than my natural voice, tone and I couldn't help but follow her motion about the boy with black hair with it's blue hue. Gray. His name is Gray. Erik's eyes hardened and I snapped back into a state of composure, I was really losing it, and Macbeth stepped up. Had to admit that when his jeans didn't have rips, when his band shirt was clean, and he _didn't_ have black lipstick or foundation on he actually looked pretty decent. But he was still my brother, in everything except blood, and I still knew that he was actually an annoying asshole. "This is Erik, Sawyer, and Sorano. We're glad to have you. I'm Macbeth." Everyone shook hands, exchanged nice greetings, and sat down as Erik got everyone drinks.

I mentally applauded, and cursed, Erik's overprotective brother behavior as he situated himself between me and Gray; Macbeth and Sawyer were sitting on either side of Meredy, and the others were just spread around the table. "We really do appreciate the invite, it was nice of you to have us all over, I brought white wine since Macbeth said dinner was a chicken dish." Jellal informed us, splitting the drink after opening the bottle, and I turned my gaze from him to glance at the others. "So, Sorano, what do you do for work?" From the other side of Erik I glanced at Gray, who was leaning forward slightly, and chuckled. "Telecommunications." I replied, not wanting to just blab what the actual job was, last thing I needed to tell them was that I was a phone sex operator. The job itself was boring, actually, I was pretty desensitized to any sort of dirty talk because of it but I got bank from doing it.

"Oh? I work in a bar." My reply was near immediate. "Doing what? Stripping?" He laughed, I hadn't noticed how he was suddenly missing his jacket _and_ the vest he'd worn. "Actually yes. I'm a male stripper." Sawyer choked on his drink, Meredy and Ultear sighed while Jellal simply shook his head, and Erik snorted in amusement before continuing to eat. "Why am I not surprised? Sex sells." His royal blue eyes twinkled and I felt my heart stutter. Dammit. I quickly tamped down on that eagerness, that bubbling in my heart, and my smile became a bit cruel. "But I've seen better." A lie, a total fucking lie, but I would not let anyone break me again. Rather than backing of though...his eyes gleamed with challenge. "Maybe you should come by sometime, it's Fairy Tail." Of course it was, the rowdiest bar in the city, and I rolled my eyes. "I might but I don't want to be let down." His lips formed a smirk that stopped my heart.

Erik tensed beside me, I knew he was ready to jump to my aid if I so much as got uncomfortable, and Gray spoke with a somewhat arrogant voice. "Trust me, Sorano, I'm the best there is." I knew I was trembling, _he_ had spoken those words too, and Erik spoke up before I could get trapped in the memories. "Doubt it, I've heard of Lyon Vastia after all, there are guys with bigger reputations. If nobody's heard of you then you can't be the best." His tone was hostile, tense, and I could feel the others all looking on with confusion and worry. Macbeth and Sawyer caught my eye, I knew when theirs widened that they'd seen the panic, and to his eternal credit it was Sawyer who spoke up with a small laugh. "Seriously dude, besides stripping is stupid, you need a better job. I'm a stunt car driver and Macbeth here is an accountant, better paying than taking your clothes off for a bunch of mid life wives." I was grateful for the attention to be off me, memories of a time in my life when I'd suffered were slowly fading, and Erik's eyes were still on me.

My brothers were the best.

* * *

Dinner was over, Meredy and her wacky family were gone, and I turned to Sorano and pulled her into my arms; as the oldest of us I always took care of them, and seeing her remember those painful memories hurt. Back then I hadn't been strong enough to stop her pain but now I would do anything to ease it, she was my sister, and Macbeth looked guilty while Sawyer showed concern. A heavy knock at the door made me cringe and Sawyer went to answer it, Gajeel stomping in with bloodshot eyes, and I knew what happened in that moment. I offered a look of understanding and he noticed Sorano's still slightly trembling form. "You okay Sora?" He had been on friendly terms with them for so long that she was okay with him using her nickname. "Just a little out of sorts tonight, Stud face." He smirked and she walked over and greeted him with a gentle hug, his large arms closing around her, and he shook slightly. "I know, you two split?" Gajeel let out a very heavy sob. "She was cheating on me." Sorano and I both winced, the man had put so much faith in her and now it had been effectively trampled on, and she led him to the sofa.

"You crash here tonight, Stud Face, and I'll tell Overload that you aren't coming in tomorrow." Her nickname 'Angel' had been started with her obsession with purity and goodness...it stuck because when people were hurting that's what she became. Her method to soothing her own pain was through hiding it and helping others. Something I envied about her. I had an errant thought that she'd be good friends with Lucy if they ever met. Sawyer tossed Gajeel a pillow and blanket, the man catching it, and Macbeth handed him a beer; I watched them go, all of them had to get up early, and Sorano peered into the room. "Overload said that you're good to take off." It wasn't all he said, not that kind of a man was Laxus, but Sorano was shaving off the harsh Chief's words to ease his pain. Gajeel offered a nod of appreciation and watched her go up the stairs.

"Guests tonight?" He asked, sipping from the bottle, and I nodded. "Macbeth finally got the balls to invite the pink haired demon neighbor over, Meredy, and she brought her family. Gray Fullbuster was hitting on Sorano." Gajeel's brow lifted and his frown deepened. "That fucker say something?" He was almost as protective of Sorano as we were, she'd given him a form of salvation from his ex-girlfriend in her neutral opinions and blunt answers, and I sighed. "He made her remember." Gajeel's eyes narrowed further. "Tch. Fucker. I'll make sure Natsu beats his ass." The fun part about our police force was that we knew mostly everyone in the city somehow, either in passing or friend of friends, and Natsu was Gray's rival and best friend. Gajeel would keep good on his word.

* * *

Ranting, I was very much busy ranting at Levy while she scanned over the latest manuscript of my novel, I'd had an utter shit of a day after submitting my article to Matsuki-sama. Evidently it was a great article but he was regretting not putting Jason in charge since I had strayed from the listed questions, it would still get published, but I had a second mark on my record and the first one wasn't even my fault. That had been Jenny Realight, Bitchface as I coined her, who had gotten jealous when I was being mentored by Jason rather than her; needless to say she started a war that we'd both nearly gotten fired over. Levy offered a sympathetic smile, Wendy was staying with her friend Chelia tonight so I could rant all I wanted, and her hazel eyes shimmered. "Lu-chan...just relax. It's not like Magnolia Weekly is the _only_ place in town you can work and I know for a fact that you write for that _other_ magazine too." I shushed her, not wanting _that_ secret exposed too, and my blunette friend giggled.

"Seriously, though, you're overreacting. If they don't appreciate your incredible writing talents then they don't deserve you as an employee, it's as simple as that, plus they can't just throw an interview at you with prying questions like that. Those were some pretty in depth things that I'm sure the police department didn't want spread." I was about to reply when a knock sounded on my door, glancing at Levy with a slight tilt of the head, and I went to the door and peered through the peep hole. I wanted to cry out of sheer and utter frustration. "It's Dan." I commented to my best friend, who looked annoyed right away, and she strode to the door and tossed it open. "Look, Dan, I don't give two fucks why you think you and Lu-chan are meant to be together but she doesn't want you. So go the fuck away!" The small girl slammed the door, in his face, and I burst out laughing and hugged her.

But he simply opened the door, seeing as we hadn't slid the deadbolt shut yet, and moved to force his way inside. "No, I'm tired of this, I'm not leaving. Lulu-chama and I are bound by the red string of fate." My eyes narrowed, my cheeks puffing in anger, but before I could swing Levy beat me to the punch. Literally. Her fist flashed out and collided with his jaw, a brilliant right hook just like I'd taught her, and Dan stumbled backward. "Levy call the cops. Tell them if they're not fast they'll be picking up a corpse." The blunette wasn't a fighter, I was, and so I gave her an out. Dan glared, holding his jaw, and I tensed. "You have five fucking minutes to leave my apartment." I threatened, ready to kick, and he lunged to grab me. My leg flashed out, slamming into his ribs, and I saw him hold his torso as he hit the wall; good, the fucker deserved some broken bones, and he wasn't getting up. He'd hit his head, pretty heard actually, and I glanced at Levy as she held her phone.

It was under five minutes later that the screeching of tires sounded, heavy footsteps on the hallway, and I looked at the duo who entered. Laxus, no doubt worried about my corpse threat, and a redheaded woman. The blond police officer looked down at Dan in alarm, glancing at me, and I smirked. "He threatened me in my own home." Levy nodded beside me and her arms crossed. "Plus he forced his way inside after we demanded he leave." The chief held his hands up. "I wasn't accusing you two of anything, you have the right to defend yourselves when someone forces entry, I just need your side of the story. Erza can get him into the car." The redhead nodded, looking down at the man who was now regaining consciousness, and her tense form gave off a very terrifying aura. "Dan Straight you are under arrest for forced entry and battery..." The redhead picked him up by his collar and cuffed him as she recited his miranda rights.

"We were talking, well I was ranting really, and he knocked on the door. Levy-chan opened the door and told him off, since he doesn't seem to take the hint even though I told him to back off yesterday when Erik was right there...but anyway so he forced his way in before we could lock the door and so Levy decked him...and then he went to fight back so I kicked him. In the ribs." Laxus snorted in amusement, a very masculine and sexy sound from him, and shook his head. "We'll fax the paperwork to the court house about the restraining order." I nodded and watched him go before glancing at Levy. "That was the fastest I've seen any cop respond to a call, he has to like you." The blunette was wrong on so many levels, at least I thought so, it was because he knew _who I was_ that he responded that fast. Of course...Levy deserved to know too. "Levy-chan..." Her eyes shifted to mine and I sat her down after dead bolting the door and making sure nobody would be able to listen in on our conversation. I was paranoid but I knew I could trust Levy-chan with my secret.

* * *

The drive was anything but silent as Dan mumbled into the gag Erza had put on him, trying to talk despite being unable, and the redheaded woman snorted. "Honestly, what sort of man breaks into a woman's house and doesn't understand when to just back off?" The redhead glared at him in the mirror, making him whimper in fear, and I couldn't help but laugh. "A pathetic one...but Dan's always been a slimeball." Her eyes turned to look at me before a devil's aura settled around her, when she got like this it was easier to divert her anger, and I'd rather her be pissed at him than me. Erza Scarlet was an amazing officer of the law, passionate and just, but she was an absolute devil when it came to the treatment of women; feminist didn't even begin to describe her but thankfully she wasn't the type who cried when she was offended...no she just shattered bones.

"I shall have to investigate his records to see if there are any repeat charges." I nodded absently and thought about the blond woman we'd just left behind. While I couldn't deny that she was sexy as hell, seriously she had a body that women paid millions for, I couldn't shake that something bad was going to happen. After Erik went and blabbed her identity, the one she'd left behind, I had gone and made sure that any and all records of the conversation were tied up nicely. Natsu, Sting, Gajeel, and Rogue knew the consequences if they talked; I'd even made sure the security cameras that were on the street lights of her street were updated, one of them even showed the door to her apartment complex very nicely. I wanted to _protect_ her, she'd run for a reason and while I was no Erik it wasn't hard to see that it was painful, I wouldn't allow anything to happen to her under my jurisdiction. As the Chief of Police I had a duty to serve and protect.

"You are lucky that Lucille called us rather than me handling you off shift, if I had my way I'd rip your penis off and cauterize the wound before making you choke on said severed penis once the flesh started to decay." I glanced at Erza with mild alarm, her threats were getting graphic, and almost wept in joy as the station came into view. A ten minute drive with her was enough to scare even the greatest of men and a large part of me was glad I'd been named Chief instead of her, when the choice had been made, because she was fiercely protective of the female officers and extremely biased against the men. "Move it!" Her barking order to Dan, as we exited the car, prompted him to squeal in terror and fall out of the cruiser. I cringed when I noticed he'd pissed himself.

* * *

 **I love writing a scary Erza, from any POV. Next chapter will include:**

 **\- Lucy gets fired (her boss is an utter ass)  
\- Erik and Gajeel save Lucy and Levy from utter embarrassment (in the form of Bunny Suits)  
-We meet the lovely Mirajane Strauss (who avenges Lucy's job being lost)  
-Lucy gets a new job at Fairy Tail (seeing as Mirajane can't keep the books and work the bar)  
-Lucy meets Sorano (she did NOT come to see Gray strip...okay that's a lie she totally did)**


	5. Career Swap

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **CAREER SWAP**

* * *

A normal, average, day in my life involved waking up at five in the morning to get ready for work and be at the publishing office for Magnolia Weekly forty-five minutes later so I could eat breakfast at my desk before working on my next assignment. Today, however, was broken by the fact that Matsuki-sama was there before I was. Which happened...never. But it was when I entered the building that my boss called me in, his face flushed with rage, and I was handed a pink slip. "Why? What did I do?" I couldn't manage anything over a whisper for fear of me screaming at him, it had been two weeks since the Erik Cassava article and I'd gotten nothing but _praise_ since then.

"Miss Ashley I had expected better of you, your writing skills are top-of-the-line and your articles are wonderful...but your own coworkers come to me every day with how abusive you are to them. I do not tolerate that sort of behavior and since you're the repeat offender you are to vacate your desk today." His voice droned out, how he could sound bored while doing this was beyond me, but abusing my coworkers? Really? "Sir...I don't...I've never abused them in any way." I replied softly, my heart thumping in my chest, and he pulled out a stack of papers.

"These are all formal complaints against you, Miss Ashley." I stared at the stack of papers in disbelief, wondering just what the hell I'd done, and I hung my head. "Well, Matsuki-sama, it seems that buying everyone lunch and doing small errands for them constitute as abuse now then. I don't understand why you never told me about this before but I'm going to leave since I'm so unwanted. Have a pleasant day." I emptied my desk, seeing as I had about half-an-hour before anyone else ever showed up, and took all my photos down. Then I left, carrying my things, and drove home.

Rage flowed through me but why should I fight for my job there if he was so willing to get rid of me without actually talking about it before hand? Levy was right in that I could easily find a place where I'd become irreplaceable, I had talent and Matsuki had even agreed that my writing was good, and now I was going to do that. I had tome to work on more short stories for the other magazine too, meaning more money since I'd have more of my work published, and I would be okay.

So I got home, took Wendy to school, called Levy, and the pair of us were currently sitting at a diner talking about what happened. In the two weeks since I told Levy the truth about my heritage she'd made sure I understood that she didn't see me as anything different, which I appreciated more than she'd ever know, and I was finally feeling _lighter_ than I had in years. "So without even investigating? That's ridiculous. I bet you could get a decent bit from unemployment." I shrugged. "Probably but I'd like to get another job...I don't like being idle." Levy seemed to consider something, I could tell by the look on her face that she had an idea, and her eyes met mine. "I might have something. Meet me at Fairy Tail around...eight-ish?" I nodded, the rowdiest place in town was a diner by day and bar after hours, Fairy Tail was a fun place to be when you were upset.

The pair of us walked, without much mind of where we were going, until I decided to splurge on a new dress to wear tonight; I had a decent bit saved up from work and then my 'emergency only' fund, I would only ever use the secondary option if I had to. But as we walked and I turned the corner I collided with a hard chest, hands reaching out to steady me, and when I looked up I met the startled gaze of Erik Cassava as he stared down at me. "Erik. Hi." I managed to squeak out, I had a few run ins with him since the interview, mostly him informing me about Dan's arrest (for stalking, harassment, battery, and forced entry) but also just because he seemed to just be around more. Or maybe I was noticing him more?

"Hello Lucy." He replied, his tone even, and I realized Levy had gone silent. Her hazel eyes were _glued_ to Officer Metal Face, her lips parted, and a flush rose to her face. "Ga-gajeel. Hi!" She managed to get out, looking flustered, and his eyes fell to her before he offered a wave. "Hey Shrimp." Her face fell a little bit, she really had the hots for him it seemed, and I decided to help her out. "Hey, perfect timing, we're going to Fairy Tail tonight. You two want to tag along? We're meeting there at eight." The men exchanged looks. "Like a date?" Gajeel asked, looking alarmed, and I frowned. "As if I would ask you on a date, Metal Face, I decked you when we first met. You can be Levy's date. Keep the guys from drooling on her once I turn her into a sexy little lady." I grinned, feeling Levy's glare, and Gajeel looked at me with a strange expression.

"Sure, Blondie, I'll go." He replied as his gaze shifted to Levy once, his nod in her direction making her flush, and I grinned in victory as Erik sighed. "Alright, I'll be your date, Blondie. Wear purple." He commanded, making me look at him, and as he went to walk past he leaned down so his mouth was close to my ear. _"Thanks, I've been trying to get him to notice her since high school."_ Knowing that I'd done something right today...well that was a nice change. Erik glanced back at me and I noticed something dark in his eyes, wondering if he'd seen that I'd been fired, and I didn't have time to think more on it as Levy grabbed in a tight hug and squealed loudly as she praised me.

* * *

I managed a noise of discomfort, my head was throbbing as I blinked awake, and my eyes shifted to look at the clock beside the bed. I'd taken a nap, after getting flooded with thoughts from Sorano's plan to torture her customers and Macbeth's weird dreams I'd gotten an awful headache, the nap had done wonders but it was already six forty-five. "Damn!" I hopped out of bed, changing into my black slacks and dress shoes before tugging on a white muscle shirt and then an indigo button up shirt, both shirts were tucked into my pants with a belt in place before I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows. It was Laxus' signature look but his influence on looking decent at Mirajane's bar prompted most of us to dress like him when we wanted to look nice. As I headed down the stairs, after brushing my hair, I noticed that Sorano was already gone seeing as she'd written a note to Sawyer that she'd be absent from dinner. I scribbled my own note and bolted out the door, I had to make sure Gajeel didn't try to back out, and I sighed roughly as I sped down the streets to his place.

As I entered the apartment I noticed that there was broken glass and signs of him taking his rage out on the place, it explained why he'd been avoiding the apartment, and I began picking up before Metal Face emerged from the room. His tan cargo pants were tucked into black work boots, a dark green muscle shirt hugged his torso and he pulled on a black short sleeve over that; Gajeel grunted at me and pulled his hair back into a ponytail before we headed out. "Can't believe that girl talked me into a date." I glanced at him. _'Fuckin' ridiculous, Shrimp's not interested...I beat the shit out of her back in school.'_ I rolled my eyes, one thing I refused to get involved with was his love life, and we used my car to head over to Mira's bar.

Our arrival was right in the final hour that the building would serve as a cafe and we glanced around before I saw them, my eyes stopping on the blond woman who was sitting beside Levy at the bar, and I got a lazy wave from Cana as she handed off another tray of food. Today was Safari Day, the waitstaff was in animal suits, and Cana was in a leopard print leotard with thigh high boots and cat ears; her figure was sexy and curvy, just like most of the women I knew, and I rolled my eyes slightly before heading over to the girls. "I'd love to work here, Mirajane-san, I owe you." The white haired woman (who was very much the object of Laxus' affections even if he didn't tell her) smiled brightly and tilted her head. "Well you could start tonight. Levy was off today, she's our accountant and handles any themed base research for new ideas, but I can put the pair of you in matching Bunny Suits." Lucy's face flushed crimson and I was gobsmacked by the memory of her wearing the red bunny suit with white floppy ears. "As much as I'd _love_ to see that...don't kidnap our dates Mira." I commented as I dropped into the stool beside Lucy.

Her dress was a halter style in a lovely shade of soft lavender with a thin line of burgundy stitching that wrapped around her natural waist, it came to her knees and her heels were burgundy peep toe shoes; her golden hair was pulled into a side ponytail, sleek and lovely, and her makeup highlighted her eyes. Fuck she was gorgeous. "Erik, there you are, you clean up nice." Her smirk made me chuckle and I lightly ran a touch down her side. "You too, Blondie, you could slay a man with a single look." Her laughter bubbled out of her and I reeled myself back in, flirting was okay but I could not overdo it, Lucy had enough to worry about keeping off her back and I wouldn't pile my own shit onto her. I heard a snort of amusement and glanced at Gajeel, who was giving me a questioning look, and then the man glanced at Levy. _'Holy shit, Shrimp looks fuckin' amazing.'_ It was true, Levy was a good looking girl but with her hair pulled into a ponytail while her bangs framed her face it helped highlight her slender neck; the tank dress was a rich emerald green with a tan cream colored knit patterned cardigan over it, short sleeves since it was warm in here, but Levy looked gorgeous and sexy. Erik's smirk widened since the dark haired officer couldn't stop glancing at her.

"So Matsuki fired you?" He asked, earning Gajeel's attention, and the blond woman sighed. "Yep. Apparently there were formal complaints about me, a whole giant stack of them, but he never once addressed me about them." Laxus dropped into the chair beside Erik and accepted a beer from Mirajane, who had seen him entering the room, and the gorgeous bar owner hummed. "Magnolia Weekly? Isn't that where Jenny works?" Lucy let out a small curse. "Tch. Yea, Bitchface and I had an in-office war within our first three months there because Jason chose to mentor me instead of her." Most of us laughed at her coined nickname, Bitchface was pretty good, and Mirajane's eyes twinkled before she grinned and grabbed her cellphone. "Hello, Matsuki-san, yes I'm calling to cancel my photo shoots." She paused and smiled wide. "Oh yes, all of them, I'm done modeling for you considering you fired a dear friend of mine. Have a pleasant night." As Mirajane hung up her cellphone Lucy's eyes widened and tears formed in them, gratitude of course, and she dabbed them away.

"I'm...in the five years I've lived in Magnolia...I've never felt so happy." Lucy admitted softly. _'Great friends, a new and great work opportunity, and...maybe someone I can love.'_ I caught the blush before she forced it down, obviously forgetting about what I might hear, and I resisted the urge to throw something. As interested ( _I would not admit that to ANYONE_ ) as I was in the blond...my record was awful and getting her tangled into my life and problems wasn't what I intended to do. "Hey, it's time to start getting the diner closed up and the night crowd into the doors." Cana commented, motioning to the clock, and Lucy blinked before smiling slightly as the diners all finished up and left; once they were gone the tables were all moved to the edges of the room and the curtains around the two stages were raised to show off the stripper poles. Seeing as Lucy didn't look alarmed I figured she'd been here before after nine.

Levy laughed at something Lucy murmured to her and the blunette struggled for breath as Lucy started laughing too. "What's so funny?" Gajeel questioned, watching them, and Lucy let out another guffaw. "N-nothing!" Levy squeaked in reply, her face crimson, and the blond leaned on my arm for support before I looked into her mind. The image of a group of guys cowering from Mirajane and Cana made me blink before I laughed too. "That's not too far off, actually." I replied and watched with a small glimmer of pride as Lucy burst into more giggles while Levy's laughter faded; I noticed Mirajane watching me with a considering eye, her gaze shifting to Lucy, and I knew what she had planned. Hell no. Between Mira and Cana the love lives of nobody was safe.

* * *

My heart was racing, my skin tingled with an almost electric feeling, and I was sitting at a table on the far left of the room by the stage; I'd procrastinated in showing up but after meeting him two weeks ago I'd not been able to get those dark blue eyes out of my mind. Erik had told me to be careful, that while he knew Gray was an okay dude he didn't want me to get hurt, and I'd denied any interest. But I'd been lying, to myself mostly since Erik knew better, and now here I sat while I was waiting for him to come on stage. A clammy feeling settled in my body, my skin cold and my palms sweating, and I knew why. I hadn't felt _anything_ this strong since that _asshole_ who would not be named, I'd pushed my heart into a dark and tiny little cage to keep it safe, having something like this pop up now...I didn't want to be alone forever but I wasn't sure I was ready. Too many memories, too much bad history, and he had no clue how damaged I was.

A cold mist blew across the room and I felt my body heat up in response, it was his thing I'd found out, and as the lights focused on the stage he strode out in a black suit with no shoes; he looked gorgeous, mouth watering gorgeous, and my heart thumped in my chest as I stared at him in a mixture of awe and annoyance. How had this random person broken my walls down that fast? He rolled his hips to the music and I couldn't help but watch him dance, the way his body moved was making my body tighten and the desires I'd always pushed aside were raging through me like a typhoon. He slid the jacket off his shoulders and I followed the fabric on its trail down before he tossed it on the ground near the entrance to the stance and leaned his back against the metal pole. Hot damn, now I was beginning to understand why men loved watching women swirl their hips against a pole.

The slacks showed off his ass very nicely, he had a nice one, and my mouth dried out before I downed the rest of my obnoxiously pink cocktail. As he turned, grabbing the pole with both hands, I felt my heart stop as his eyes met mine. My palms began to sweat more, my heart thudding fast, and he slid to his knees while holding the silver pole before crawling toward the edge of the stage. He reached out, as if held in place by an invisible cage, and I wanted to go to him. Anger flowed through me, anger at myself, and I closed myself down. I pulled a trick I'd learned in having a career in phone sex and blanked my mind, shut off the part of my brain that responded to my heart and body, and with a less flustered mind I realized despairingly that he was _still_ gorgeous. As he pulled his shirt down his shoulders I failed miserably in keeping up my cool and bolted, I couldn't do this, but what I didn't know was that he'd seen me leave.

I was panting, leaning on the brick wall of some alleyway, and I struggled for breath; my skin felt clammy, my heart no longer throbbing from desire, instead I was back in that cold and dark warehouse. The scent of cigar smoke, brandy, and heavy cologne burned my nose and tears formed in my eyes. "Are you okay?" My eyes raised, looking into pools of chocolate, and the young blond held out a handkerchief that had a strong scent of lavender. I wanted to smack her hand away, to shut her out, but her worried face was breaking through my already weak resolve. Instead I took her offer and dabbed my eyes before her arms closed around my body and held me close. The anger that formed in my heart died when I felt her own tears sliding down my shoulder, felt her own body trembling, and realized that she _understood_. "I doubt I went through half of what you did...but I'm not here to judge." Her voice was a soft whisper, her body was so very warm, and I let the tears out just this once. A release of pent up emotion that I hadn't realized I so desperately needed, and this woman was offering me that.

I spent ten minutes in her arms, crying until the tears were gone, and when I pulled away from her she offered me a smile that made my heart skip. "I'm Lucille Ashley." She greeted and delight filled me. "You're the one who decked Dan Dickmunch in the eye and then got him arrested!" I couldn't help it, she was my hero, and then when he was in prison Erik had beaten his ass for me. "Yea, that's me." I couldn't help the giggle that slipped out. "I'm Sorano Agria." Her brown eyes shimmered and she let out a soft laugh. "You're the woman that lives with Erik, the one who answered the phone when I called." I blinked and nodded. "I guess I did answer then, huh?" Her smile made me want to smile back at her but I didn't, I offered her a smirk, she simply rocked back on her heels. "Oi! Lucy, what the-" Erik paused mid step, looking at me, and I waved. "Hey." His eyes darkened and I knew he'd peeked into my mind.

I simply rolled my eyes. "Hey Erik." He watched me and Lucille interrupted him before he could talk. "I should probably get home. Can you walk me, Erik?" He blinked at her, startled, and I couldn't help the tiny little stab of joy in my heart with him being challenged by a female. He was no virgin, he'd fucked his fair share of women, and he was not the kind of guy that was a 'take home to the parents' variety; but he'd never had a woman, other than me ( _but I'm his sister and that's gross_ ), stand up to him like that. It was a little nice to see the normally firm and unshakable man dealing with someone who was making him spin. But like me Erik had too many problems, too hard a history, and I wanted to warn her against falling for him. Erik was easy to fall for, most of the girls he'd been with were heartbroken in the end, and I didn't want Lucille to suffer that same heartbreak. The blond woman had given me an unbiased shoulder, offered me comfort without judgment, and I couldn't help but feel touched by that simple gesture.

* * *

 **If there are mistakes I apologize but I wanted to get this up. A little more of an insight into Sorano's mind, the war she's facing with herself, and how her past is affecting her feelings here.**

 **In the next chapter we will see:**

 **-Lucy's first day at work (gotta love working for Mirajane)  
-Laxus' denial of his lady love (he doesn't feel he's deserving of the sweet 'demon' Mirajane)  
-Gajeel runs into Levy in the most odd of places (she's not as innocent as the world thinks)  
-Erik talks to Sorano and we learn a little about their past (it's dark, just a heads up)**


	6. Numb

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **NUMB**

My steps were soft as I walked into the house, Sawyer and Macbeth were having a screaming match in the living room about the fact that the stunt car driver had a date with the pink haired demon tomorrow. I couldn't help but scowl. "Seriously, you two, you're going to argue over a girl?" They looked up, alarmed, and I couldn't help the anger that had laced its way into my voice; here we were, just the four of us who had stayed together and stayed strong through the shit life we had, and they were getting into a pissing match over some girl. "Well not all of us are immune to sex. Besides aren't you drooling over her brother?" Sawyer snapped back, his eyes blazing, and I felt anger work its way through me like a riptide; it consumed any sense of restraint I had in talking to my brothers about a subject they knew better than to question.

"You _know_ why I learned to shut it off, why I managed to make it so dirty talk doesn't bother me, and even if I am interested in Gray I'm not planning on getting with him. I can't...I refuse to let anyone hurt me like that again." I started, chest heaving, and Macbeth grabbed Sawyer's arm with a warning look; out of the four of us I'd come out the most scarred, the one with the most problems, and I'd been through four therapists before simply giving up with them and relying on my brothers. As Sawyer opened his mouth to answer a sharp slam startled all of us, Erik was standing in the doorway with a cold expression, and the psychic pointed at Sawyer. "Don't you dare say what you're thinking, you're pissed and you shouldn't take it out on her, and you..." He pointed at me, his gaze still harsh, and I knew that this wasn't Erik. This was Cobra, the cold-hearted bastard who had saved all of our lives.

"Don't get involved, they'll work out their own problems, don't put yourself in the position to get hurt." I realized then he was right, I was throwing myself out there in a way that allowed them to use my past as a weapon, and I ducked my head immediately. Shame filled me at my lack of control, what had messed me up this badly that my head came loose enough? "If you two are going to just yell at each other then take that shit somewhere else, its ten-thirty at night and I do not need people calling for a noise violation, Meredy's house is next door and I'm almost positive if you're loud enough she'll hear every word." The two shut down, faces blank, before Sawyer dragged Machbeth into the basement so they could hash out their argument; Erik turned to me and I suddenly felt like a child again, like he was going to reprimand me. Instead his arms closed around me, pressing my face into his shoulder, and my hands slowly rose to grip the back of his jacket. "Oh Sora..." He whispered softly, stroking my hair, and he sat me down on the couch with him so I was curled in his lap.

Erik had always been my rock, the one person I could lean on who would never judge, and even twenty years later I still depended on him. "What do I do, Erik? I'm...I'm scared." I was, that confession startled me for a moment since I'd just let myself talk, but I realized then that I was really scared. Scared of heartbreak, scared of being hurt, of being taken advantage of, and even of being rejected. "I can't tell you what to do...but I can tell you what I would do." I nodded, one thing Erik _always_ made explicitly clear was that he valued the choices of other people (all because of how we grew up) and it was rare that he ever made any sort of command, his insight here would be much appreciated. "Go back to therapy, with Porlyusica, and tell her _everything_. Tell her about your past, your fears, your trouble with Dan...let it all out with someone who isn't biased to you. Do you remember how amazing it felt t tell the first therapist the truth and he reminded you that _it wasn't your fault_?" A warmth flowed through me then, a stunning coil of light, and I nodded.

Talking it out had always made me panicked, scared, but I did always feel a little better in the end. "But...what do I do about Gray?" I hated how attracted I was to him, hated how he made my heart flip and race, and Erik scoffed. "Angel...you need to fix you before you can add another life to the mix. Why do you think I've refused to date?" I looked at him and stared. "What do you mean, you're fine aren't you?" Erik's eyes softened and I could see the _hurt_ in them. "No, Angel, I'm just better at hiding my pain. I still go to therapy every Saturday, everyone at the station knows it since I see our psychologist and she's the one I want you to see, I'm not better yet." My hands rose to his cheeks and I peppered his forehead with kisses, my brother had been hurting and I hadn't seen it. "Why didn't you tell us?" My voice was barely a whisper. "You all need someone to be strong and that's what I've done this whole time." His answer was so simple, so very much what I had tried to do ( _and failed at_ ), and yet it bolstered my resolve.

"We came from a shitty place, the four of us, seeing as we're the few survivors of that child sex slave ring that Chief Makarov shut down. That's why most of the survivors are still here in the city, even though it carries a bad taste, isn't it? You feel at ease here knowing the police department found us." I nodded, the scent of brandy and cigar smoke filling my nose and burning at my eyes, old men in suits danced across my vision before I heard the screams of pain from the other girls. "The girls were raped, repeatedly, the boys too in some cases. We were less than dogs there...but we're strong because _we survived_." Erik's voice was soothing, his hands rubbing circles on my back, and I couldn't help but let the tears fall. "You saved us by taunting the gang members who tried to beat us, you took so much from them to stop us from hurting, I'll never forget the day that they..." My fingers traced his scarred eye and he scoffed. "You mean the day that Saweet Junelle showed up with his son Sawarr? I'll never forget that fucker's face after he paid them to make you sleep with the boy, fucking ridiculous business owners and their bullshit." I noticed an odd look cross his face but it was gone in an instant.

"Promise me. Please Sora promise me you'll see Porlyusica." His hold tightened around me, his body shaking, and it took me a moment to register that he was _crying_. I couldn't deny him, there was nothing I wouldn't give for my brothers, and I nodded. "Okay. I promise. I'll go see the old bat on Friday." He whispered a soft 'thank you' and continued to cry, my hands stroking his soft hair, and an odd thought crossed my mind. If he confessed to not dragging someone into his life...it meant he found someone he wanted; a soft smile formed on my face, I couldn't help it, as I remembered the way his eyes softened when Lucille had taken his hand to pull him away so he could walk her home.

* * *

He was still sitting there at the bar, his storm colored eyes half-lidded as he took another drag from his bottle, and I hummed gently as I perched myself on the stool behind the counter so I was in front of him. "You look upset." I watched his eyes raise to my face and he looked away again, annoyance flashed through his expression before it vanished, and his hand ran through his hair. "Just...problems from the past springing up. I don't know how to talk to Erik about it." Concern welled within me, seeing as Erik and the others were good friends of most of the city now, and he shook his head. "I can't tell you, he'll read it off you, I've learned to block certain things from him." My expression softened, long ago I would not have considered him to be the material for Chief of Police, he really cared and it touched my heart. "Just be honest, you and I know that he'll appreciate it if you're up front with him, if you try to soften the blow he'll think you're calling him weak." When he looked at me again my heart raced, chest thudding, and he took one of my hands. "Thanks Mira." I nodded, unable to form words, and then I managed it.

"Hey Laxus...let's go on a date." He froze, hand still holding mine, and stared at me with a mild expression of alarm; I'd never been so blunt about it but now was the time, seeing as I was never going to get anywhere with him if I wasn't up front, and his mouth formed a tight line. "How...how can you suggest that of _me_?" He sounded pained. "I can ask that of you because whenever you talk to me or even just look at me it makes my heart race, when you do things like take my hand or offer help I lose the ability to talk...I think I might love you but I can't say until we try." His gorgeous eyes met mine and I could see the guilt in them. "I had Evergreen subdue and beat the shit out of you and most of the other girls...I laughed when you cried about how you knew I was a better person." He would always hold a regret for what he'd done in the tail end of Middle School, Fiore Military Academy had changed him into a strong and capable man during high School, and becoming a cop had humbled him.

"You're not that same person, Laxus, you're better than that now." His jaw tensed and he set his money on the bar top, sliding his hand away from mine, and he stood up. "I'm sorry, Mira, but I can't." He fled, my heart aching for him, and I tossed his empty bottle before ringing him up and taking the change; so lost in my sadness, my _rejection_ , was I that I missed the dark eyes following my form. It wasn't until I turned and noticed the man at the bar that I even realized I wasn't alone. "Oh! I'm so sorry. What can I get you?" He offered a smile of understanding. "No need to apologize, it wasn't hard to miss what happened, I'll take a brandy." His voice was smooth, like melted chocolate, and I poured him a glass of the amber drink; as he accepted it his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. "I'm Mard Geer." I couldn't help but smile, Laxus' rejection wasn't the end of the world, and I snagged a beer of my own. "I'm Mirajane Strauss." His eyes twinkled. "I know. I hate to sound like a creep but I'm a fan." A blush rose to my face, he had seen my photos in Magnolia Weekly no doubt, and he took a sip from his drink while waiting for a reply. "You don't sound like a creep at all, actually, you're much more polite about it than some of my other fans." His eyes twinkled with delight and I chuckled in reply.

* * *

I sighed, grabbing a box and tossing it into the basket on my arm, and was ready to just leave when a heavy hand fell on my shoulder; I turned, more annoyed than anything, only to freeze when crimson eyes met mine. "Hey Gajeel." He was out of uniform, it had to be his day off, but damn did he look fantastic in his worn black jeans and faded Iron Maiden shirt. "Shrimp? What are you doing here?" He looked alarmed and I wanted to laugh. "Buying myself some things." He glanced at my basket and I couldn't help but smirk at the expression on his face, alarmed didn't begin to cover it, and a red flush painted his face. My brows rose. "Oh, Gajeel, are you surprised? I might be kind and sweet but I'm a girl with needs too." I watched his eyes shift to my face before his crimson pools darkened considerably. "Evidently, if you're buying _those_ then what shitty job is your boyfriend doing?" I rolled my eyes, glancing at the vibrator I'd selected ( _Lucy had told me about it_ ) as well as the cleaner I'd purchased, and a few new sets of pretty lingerie since I liked feeling sexy.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." His eyes darkened, his expression becoming intense, and I felt my insides squirm as he looked at me. I didn't have a boyfriend, I'd dumped Jet last year after I caught him with another girl, but he didn't really need to know that. Gajeel snorted. 'I guess it isn't." A small flash of defeat shot through me at his words, his stance becoming tense, and as I turned to walk away he grabbed my wrist. "Wasn't finished talking, Shrimp. It's not my business but I'm going to make it my business." He pulled me against him, the basket falling to the ground, and angled my face up to his. "I want you." His confession rattled me, made my head spin, and yet he kept going. "I've wanted you since college, since the Police Academy...god I even wanted you in High School. I as such an asshole back then and I regret what I did to you. I have ever since-" I silenced him by slamming my mouth against his, stealing his words with a kiss, and it took him two seconds to respond with the same amount of passion.

"I don't care about what happened in High School, Gajeel, and I'm single. I've always liked you but you had Sue." His grip tightened on my wrist as he shook his head. "I only dated her because I felt like I didn't deserve you." I giggled. "Well I want you too. Guess I should put these back." He shook his head. "No because I'm going to watch you use them." His words sent heat right through me and I felt my body light up in response, a smirk shone on his face, and I paid for my selections before we left together. "Wait...what were you there for?" He glanced at me and blushed. "I saw your car..." That made me laugh, openly, and I knew he was a little annoyed. "S-sorry. You walked into a sex shop just because you saw my car in the parking lot?" His eyes darkened. "Yes, I did, because I honestly didn't think you'd ever been in one before." A snort shot out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Please. Lucy and I go there quite often seeing as her luck with guys is about as good as mine." As I slid into the driver's seat of my car he leaned down. "I'll meet you at your house, Levy." When my name, my real name and not his stupid nickname, rolled off his lips it was so amazing that I wanted to just kiss him senseless. "Okay Gajeel." My response was breathy, damn I was really turned on, and I watched him saunter to his car before I drove home.

I had to remember to thank Lucy later because if she hadn't told me to go then I wouldn't have gotten Gajeel to finally let go of the past.

* * *

Today's theme was the Magical Girl theme for the staff, all the employees were dressed as the main characters to different Magical Girl anime. I was Mitsuki from Full Moon wo Sagashite, a girl who had a critical condition and used magic to age herself so she could become a singer before she died in a year's time. The long blond wig looked so real it wasn't funny, I didn't need contacts since her eyes were brown, and I had on a cute pop star out outfit in white with a cropped jacket that connected to the knee length skirt by two straps on the front and back. Cana was Kinomoto Sakura, from Cardcaptor Sakura, and was in the blue jester costume; someone was dressed Madoka, another as Sailor Moon, another as Saint Tail, and even someone dressed as Ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew. Mirajane was Momoko from Wedding Peach and Levy was Blossom from Demashita Powerpuff Girls Z. An interesting combination to be sure.

"Mitsuki-chan! Could I get a water?" I'd been warned that most of the customers for today's theme were creepy otaku guys and I'd not been let down by that warning yet, in fact it was a bit disturbing, but I didn't let that get me down. It was a job that broke the monotony of the day-to-day life, it allowed me to still be independent and not rely on the last bit of wealth I had, and I was actually quite happy. Unlike at Magnolia Weekly I could breath, I didn't have to fear my coworkers trying to sabotage me, and I could relax here. As I handed off another tray of food I paused in surprise as the door opened and a far too familiar face, a small sense of panic flowing through me, and I headed back as the hostess seated them at one of Cana's tables.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" Levy had noticed my panic, out of all my friends she was far too observant, and I swallowed hard. "That's Mard Geer, he's the son of my family's lawyer, if anyone would recognize me it's him." I replied nervously. "But why would he sell you out?" My eyes raised to her face and I shook my head. "When everything happened...I donated the estate and most of the money from it to charity, I gave the servants a decent bit of money too but his family was always one that asked for more and more when father was alive." Levy knew I had a small chunk of that money left and she and I both knew how cruel humans could be, so the blunette glanced at my with a reassuring smile. "I'll call Gajeel, since he knows, and let him know what's going on. Maybe Erik can show up and get a reading off him to see what his goals are." I nodded, appreciating her help, and went back out to take care of my tables.

It was around four in the afternoon when Erik and Gajeel walked in, in plain clothes, and Levy had them directed to one of my tables; as I approached them I noticed Erik's eyes freeze as he scanned the room, he was looking right at Mard Geer, and the bastard was looking at me. A cruel smile formed on his lips, his eyes blazing with knowing, and I looked away before taking the drink orders of the two officers. Mirajane seemed to have noticed the tension and bit her lip nervously as I approached, grabbing the orders that were finished, and I grew much more tense. Go figure when I find happiness something like this happens, 'Lucky' Lucy Heartfilia my ass, and I prayed I was just being overly paranoid.

* * *

 **This chapter was meant to showcase more of Sorano and Erik's past than anything but now there's trouble afoot.**

 **Next Chapter will include:  
** **-Mard Geer confronts Lucy (is he really a villain? You'll see)  
-Laxus and Erik talk (about the thing that shall not be named)  
-Sorano goes to therapy (Porlyusica is a mean doctor)  
**


	7. Titanium

_Please be aware this chapter has some pretty graphic stuff in it, like totally awful and horrible graphic things, so you have been warned. If reading about rape or sexual abuse is a trigger to you PLEASE be careful when you're reading this one._

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **TITANIUM**

* * *

The knock at the door of my apartment made me jump, in fact I almost flew up out of my armchair, and Wendy glanced up at me from her essay. "Sis?" I shook my head and stood up, using the peep hole, and frowned at the very uninvited guest on the other side. Wendy knew about my past so I knew she had a right to be here for this conversation, I wouldn't hide anything from my sister, and as I opened the door his dark eyes brightened.

"Well, you look as lovely as always, Lucy it's been so very long." Mard Geer was being polite in not reaching out or overstepping my doorway, he knew better than anyone that I'd taken a _lot_ of self-defense training growing up, and I offered a tentative smile of my own. "It has been a long time. Please come inside." I held my breath as he strode in the room past me and he paused as I closed the door.

"Wendy this is a family friend of mine, Mard Geer, his father was the family lawyer. Mard I'd like you to meet my little sister Wendy." The ever polite man smiled and dipped into a bow. "Hello Miss Wendy." The girl offered her own tentative smile, having picked up on the atmosphere between myself and Mard it seemed. I guided him to the armchair. "Would you like a drink?" He blinked and an easy smile broke the awkward tension, one thing he'd always excelled at was handling weird situations. "Water, Lucy, thank you." As I got him a glass and sat down across from him I noticed his dark eyes scanning my form.

"Lucy...I'm here to discuss your recent involvement with a certain man. Erik Cassava has become quite close to you, has he not?" My heartbeat thundered and then I frowned, how had _he_ known about me and Erik? Immediately my body went rigid, my chest tightened, and I trembled. "How long?" His brows raised as he tried to play innocent. "You'll have to be more specific than that, Lucy." His casual rebuke made me even more angry. "How long have you had someone tailing me?" His eyes danced as he watched her face flush with anger. "I've had someone watching over you ever since you left everything behind, Lucy." I couldn't help it, the anger that swarmed through me, and I immediately snapped.

"What the fuck?! You've been paying someone to tail me ever since I was eighteen, telling you every little detail of my life I assume?" Immediately my rage grew as I drifted my eyes over to Wendy. "Have you been tailing Wendy too?" His eyes widened minutely and he shook his head, seeing as it was rare to catch him off guard I knew he was at least being honest. "No, Lucy, just you. I did it because I understand why you left, the press absolutely ruined your life with prying questions and accusations, I wanted to make sure you were safe. I still do. That's why I don't want you getting close to Cassava, his past _will_ catch up to him and I do not want you involved." He sounded sincere, I had always trusted him before, but now I didn't know what to think.

"The tailing stops, now. If you want me to trust you again you'll cancel anyone watching over me, you'll let me approach you if I feel I need your help." He blinked twice, nodding, and grabbed his phone. "Kyouka, the job is done. Stop tailing Lucy." The blond heard a voice on the other end give an affirmative and Mard looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to give another command, and Lucy shook her head. He ended the call, his dark eyes softening, and stood up after finishing his water. "You don't want to know why I want you to stay away from Cassava?" He asked softly and I debated, I really did, but I _refused_ to ruin the trust Erik had for me and shook my head. "No, Mard. I appreciate your concern though." He nodded, standing up, and hesitantly opened his arms; I debated the wisdom of my next action as I stepped into his arms, letting him hug me, and then watched him leave.

I peeked through the curtains, watching the woman who moved to step up beside him, her long white hair tied into a professional bun and she wore a black suit; a professional body guard, I'd seen enough of them in the past around the manor, and then the pair climbed into an expensive looking BMW and drove away. Wendy was the first to speak up as I stayed by the window. "Sis...do you trust him to keep his word?" I glanced at Wendy and sighed, the question was valid, and shook my head. "No. Something tells me he's going to try and either expose Erik's past or threaten him to keep him away, if that's the goal, or he's going to keep tailing me." Wendy looked a little nervous and I smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm going to talk with Laxus." If anyone could help it'd be the Police Chief, having Mard tail me for so long had to be illegal in some way.

* * *

I was getting senile, there was no other explanation as to why I'd taken on another person for therapy, I'd wanted to get out of this and go back to the school so I could worry about biology and anatomy essays and not a person's inner demons, but as I looked at the young woman before me I knew she needed me. It wasn't hard to see the arrogant expression was a mask, her purple eyes were cold and her scowl was a defense mechanism. "So, Sorano Agria, where would _you_ like to start with this?" Her look of surprise was quickly tamped down and she was giving me a considering look.

"I'm...I was one of the children that was kidnapped and raised in the Balam Sex Scandal." I didn't allow my surprise to show but I was surprised, she was one of a very small pool of people who had any right to be psychotic, and her lips curled downward. "I...I've always tried to be strong, to be the one my brothers can lean on, but I've recently realized that I can't be strong since I've not even gotten over my own problems. There's a guy I like...but after everything I went through as a child and a really bad relationship with a cheating asshole...I'm _terrified_ to let him in." The girl was finally trying to have a normal life and failing, her past stopping her from living in the present, and I nodded in understanding.

"Are you having flashbacks whenever you let yourself just _feel_ and stop pushing your heart down?" Sorano nodded, her expression faltering, and I continued. "Then, when you're alone, the crushing weight of shame and guilt course through you?" Again she nodded, her expression shattering as despair shone in those eyes of hers, and I reached out and took her hands. "Listen to me, Sorano. It is not your fault, you were a child and unable to stop them from harming you the way they did, you were a terrified person who did what you had to in order to survive." Her eyes began to water and I was rewarded with a soft sob. "I just...I feel _worthless_ any time I think about it." Her confession was from the depths of her heart and I knew that's where we needed to start. Her confidence was shot and her arrogant mask was how she handled it.

"Why would you feel worthless? Or, more importantly, what do you define as _worth_?" Her eyes blinked wide, considering the question, and I could tell she didn't even have an answer to that question. "There's no way to define a person's worth, Sorano, we're all different and we're all searching for something to give our lives meaning. What you might consider worth another may not, to you worth would be having a less messed up past I assume?" She nodded and I shook my head. "That's not the right way to think about it, you were stupidly led by the nose and fell right into what the entire world tries to thrust into the easily swayed minds of children and morons." Her body tensed and I continued before she could interrupt. "You're alive, you're in one piece physically, and you're not a psychotic killer; you had a hard past and came out of it because you _refused_ to let those men break you. Do not let them rule your life, Sorano, you escaped them for good when they were caught by Chief Makarov and executed for their crimes." I watched the way her eyes lightened, if only a little, and she nodded.

"I'm assuming they did more than the traditional rape, beat, and starve treatment with you." I watched her body stiffen again, not ready to think about it, but she had to. I knew why people often referred to me as a bitch but it was mostly because I was willing to push through the fear and personal shields. "You feel like you're less than others because they did things to you that you feel ashamed of." I pinned her with a harsh look, a warning that she could talk or she could walk, and Sorano's fingers twitched as she gripped her skirt before her words tumbled out. "They didn't just rape me in the sense of using their bodies...I was raped and sodomized by anything they felt like using. Broom handles, iron pipes, sex toys...even a lit candle." Her voice cracked at the end and I masked my disgust at the actions that human men could take against a _child_ , the girl had a hundred and one reasons to be fifty shades of fucked up, and she tumbled through the next sentence.

"I have burn scars on my genital regions, one of them even carved his initials where my pubic hair stopped growing...there are scars on my breasts from bites, and I can't look at myself naked without getting angry and depressed." I understood why, she was _hurt_ and she had every right to be, my hand closed over one of hers. "Sorano...those scars mark you as a survivor...but I want you to come back tomorrow afternoon around four thirty. I have a group therapy session I host for victims of sexual abuse, male or female, and I think it would do you good." Her body tensed and I watched her expressions change before she nodded. "I...I'm bringing my brothers. We were all..." I nodded and watched her stand up, she'd reached her barest limit, and she left in a flurry of white fabric. I had written notes, which I slipped into her file, and grabbed the folder for my next patient. The face looking back at me was gentle, soft, but hiding much behind those smiling eyes. This one would be there too, the next day, and it was her story that would hopefully help Sorano the most.

* * *

My hands were shaking, my skin clammy, and I stared at the building before me and sighed as I walked inside. I wasn't expecting much, Miss Porlyusica had mentioned group therapy once before but I hadn't planned to go. Now that there _was_ a group to attend I had no excuses, my hands closed around the door handle, and I could hear voices inside; I was still early, two minutes until it technically started, and as I pushed the door open my body locked up. The people that turned to look at me were familiar, too close, and my skin got clammy. "Lucy?" Erik was staring at me in shock, as if I was the last person in the world he expected to walk through that door ( _I probably was_ ), and I heard the door close behind me.

"Good, you're here. Take a seat." I looked at Wendy's biology teacher, who was also a psychologist, and forced myself to sit down. The chairs were arranged in a circle, so we were all looking at each other, and I felt mildly uncomfortable. Erza, the redheaded police officer, was to my left and Sorano was on my right. Erik was beside Sorano with another male beside him who had black lipstick on as well as very pale foundation, another male with black shaved hair with a blond dyed mohawk was next in the arrangement, and then came a male with blue hair and a tattoo on his right eye. My heart was thundering in my chest as Erik stared at me. Why had he come? "Please go around the circle and introduce yourselves." Without preamble Erza stood up. "I am Erza Scarlet." "Jellal Fernandes." "Sawyer Sokudo." "Macbeth Banquo." "Erik Cassava." "Sorano Agria." My heartbeat stopped, my tongue wet my lips. "L-lucille Ashley." I managed to choke out, ignoring the looks of concern from Jellal and Erza.

"As you're all aware this is a group therapy session, all of you are victims of sexual assault or abuse." I could feel Erik's eyes on me, as well as Sorano's, and the beautiful woman to my right placed her hand on mine and squeezed it gently. I turned my hand over, gripping hers, and borrowed her strength as I sat there. "Lucille, would you like to start?" It wasn't a question, or it was voiced as a question but the tone was obvious in that she wanted me to begin, and I felt my throat dry up. "W-when I was growing up I had what I've learned a lot of people refer to as a 'funny uncle' in that my father had a family friend who would come over. When I was six he was just affectionate, he hugged me or asked for a kiss, innocent stuff. When I turned eight he began to-" I choked, feeling a burning shame course through me, and Sorano squeezed my hand again while Erza took my other hand. "He would make me sit on his lap more often, tickling me so I squirmed on him, and when my father and mother were busy he would touch me. He...he told me he had to make sure I was clean, that I was washing properly, and...and I..." The fact that _none_ of the staff had been aware of what he had done sickened me, nobody had known that Zoldeo had done what he had until I fought back, and my body trembled.

"I never thought to question it, he was an adult and someone I knew my parents trusted...I never told them, he'd told me not to of course. I was twelve when he forced himself on me for the first time, I'd just hit puberty and it obviously hit me pretty hard. H-he...he told me if I fought back or told anyone that he would kill me and my parents and I was terrified that he really would, he was someone they trusted enough to sleep in our house and he even had a set of keys. It would have been easy for him to sneak in or even convince them I was lying. So I didn't say a word...but I got pregnant." I felt tears form in my eyes, felt my heart throbbing faster, and the room spun slightly. "I...I fought back one night, before I even knew I was pregnant, and he ended up kicking me in the stomach. There was so much blood." My breath was lost, memories swarming me of that night, the flashing red and blue lights and the hospital room filled my mind, and I was jerked back to reality when I felt hands close around my upper arms.

Erik's eyes were locked with mine, his expression worried, and I struggled for breath. "Hey, you're okay. You're fine." He looked terrified, really, but I didn't understand. Then it clicked, he _saw_ everything, he had read my mind. Probably on accident, I wasn't really trying to keep everything locked inside, and I took several deep breaths. "Are you alright to continue?" I shook my head, I couldn't do it, and Porlyusica nodded before gesturing to Sorano. I gripped the girl's hand tightly, offering her the same strength and judgment free help.

* * *

Lucille was too nice, far too nice, and I could feel her hand in mine; Porlyusica had gestured to me and after the blond had shared her story I knew it'd be wrong to hide from mine. "I was a victim of the Balam Sex Ring, I was kidnapped from my home and forced to live in a warehouse with many other children. We were shackled to walls, people would pay the men who captured us to beat us or have sex with us, and it wasn't uncommon for a child to just vanish the day they arrived. I...I was always a favorite, because of my hair and eye colors being different, so nobody was allowed to hurt me except our captors...I was four when I was first raped. Primed, they called it." My words got stuck, my heart racing, and Erik held my hand while Lucille drew circles with her thumb on my other hand; I could do this, I _had_ to do this, I was not going to let those bastards win. "They would make me bring them food and drinks, they liked to play cards a lot, and sometimes they would simply just rape me at the card table like it was a normal thing to do while playing." I felt Lucille tremble. "Even now the scent of cigar smoke, brandy, or even just stale air sends me back to that time. I...sometimes they got bored and they would use other things to rape me. Broom handles, iron pipes...and one day they even used a lit candle. I nearly died so it didn't happen again but...I still have scars." My mouth was on auto pilot, my brain shutting down the filter, and I knew my chest was heaving as I struggled for breath.

"I feel _worthless_ because I was treated worse than a dog, worse than trash, and I don't even know what it means to just be comfortable with myself." Erik was tense beside me, his eyes hard, and I felt the warmth of her hand against my clammy skin. "There was one day when a businessman came, I was thirteen, and he paid my captors so his son could have experience before he got married. The little bastard looked like a toad so it was no wonder he wasn't getting any action." He'd been ugly as all fuck and I'd nearly gotten sick when he'd looked at me the way he had. "Erik almost killed him, to protect me, and lost his eye because of it. That was the day the police officers came and shut down the Balam Sex Ring, it was the reason the Junelle family lost all their reputation and money since they were there and had paid the men; but even though we got out of it...we were pretty messed up." My laugh was bitter, the laugh of someone who hadn't had it easy in life, and I could tell Macbeth and Sawyer were struggling.

"Erik, Swayer, Macbeth, and I were led by the nose again by one of the psychologists responsible for our rehabilitation. Renato Olvera, Brain as his friends called him, used us too. He turned us into a street gang, taught us to channel our anger into aggression; made us go from victims to assailants. We would mug people, I'd seduce them and then beat the shit out of them in a back alleyway somewhere, and we stole a lot. We had many run ins with the cops after that, who wanted to give us a chance because of the past we shared, but we all ended up serving four years in prison when we broke into the home of a man who owed Brain a lot of money. Drug money. He was paranoid, had a gun, and shot Sawyer when we weren't fast enough to stop him from getting to the weapon; we'd been distracted, he had a child with him, and we served time for it. Brain was busted, arrested just like us, and Chief Makarov put us through proper therapy while we were in jail." I was running out of words, running out of the ability to even make a decent sentence, and I just stopped. That was it for me, it was all I could handle, and Porlyusica could see the frantic expression on my face as my brain registered what I'd shared.

A knock on the door sounded and Laxus peered in, his storm eyes dark with worry, and he motioned to Erik. "We need you. Emergency." The psychic looked at me, patting my hand, and nodded to the doctor before leaving. Macbeth swallowed hard as Porlyusica rounded on him.

* * *

Laxus' mind was like a steel trap, he'd learned how to block me out, and since he was doing it I knew that we had a problem. A big one. "Chief?" He paused outside the door to the station, giving me a hard stare, and pointed at me. "If you get out of line when I show you who was brought in...I will throw your ass in jail. We need to find out if he's the only one." There were few instances, rare ones, that Laxus would _ever_ command that of me and I stared back at him and nodded. With a tense jerk of the door we went inside, heading for the interrogation room, and I could see that I was getting a lot of worried looks. This was not good.

"We received word that he was prowling around and Gajeel brought him in, found him outside of Magnolia Weekly." I glanced at Laxus and looked into the room where two people sat, one was obviously his lawyer but the other...the other person in the room drew all of my rage out in one moment. This was a man who had been partially responsible for the suffering I'd endured, that the others had endured, and Laxus' hand held my shoulder. "No wonder you didn't bring Erza." The redhead would have gone berserk, she had the most to be angry about after all, and Laxus nodded as he looked at me. "I found out a few days ago he'd been released but the documentation was sent too late so I couldn't warn anyone, I knew he'd be back to his old stomping grounds...but we managed to catch him on a charge of stalking. It's not enough to keep him here...but he needs to understand who is on the police force now. Plus I need you to see if he's got plans." I knew why, if the Balam Sex Ring was reborn because he was loose...there would be chaos.

That he'd even gotten away proved he was smart, he had kept his hands clean and off any papers so he'd gotten off with a few years rather than an execution. Everlue.

* * *

 **Erik's past is still a mystery, Mard Geer may be a good guy, and Lucy realizes she's not alone in having a past she wants to escape from.**

 **In the Next Chapter:**

 **-Erik confronts Everlue (Possible discussions of his past)  
-Mard and Mira spend some time together (a date?! Le gasp!)  
-Sorano, Lucy, and Erza spend a day together (now that they know they aren't so different)  
-Wendy, Chelia, Sting, and Rogue encounter trouble (they're a bunch of teenagers)**


	8. Anthem

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **ANTHEM**

* * *

I couldn't help but laugh at how utterly ridiculous Sting was being, really, he was great at cheering me up and since he and Raios knew about Lucy I was allowed to talk to them about things that bothered me. Like Mard Geer's appearance and the stalking. I was always keeping a sharper eye out, unable to stop myself, and any time I saw a black BMW I couldn't help but get a little nervous, but Sting and Raios had promised to be there for me. It was nice...finally having a family. "Ne, Wendy, look!" Chelia called, showing off the sunglasses with the little mustache attached by chain, and I grinned as I put on a pair of oversized shades that were bigger than my head. Raios shook his head, having been the one to suggest hanging out at the mall, and we put everything back before weaving through the crowd again. Seeing as Sting and Raios had big brothers that were cops they knew the drill with things like creepy stalkers, always stay in a group and stay in a public place, so I knew I could trust them to help me.

I really was worried about my big sis, she had been sleeping poorly recently and wasn't able to sit still knowing that Mard Geer had done that to her, so I wanted to get something to cheer her up. She didn't know that I'd taken up a part time job of my own, while she worked I went to work, so I managed to put some money away and now I wanted to get her a good present. "What's Lucy like?" Chelia asked gently, Sting in front of us and Raios behind us, and I smiled. "The stars, she loves outer space and the constellations." Chelia hummed and Raios wrapped an arm around both Chelia and my shoulders. "I don't think the mall is the place to go then, we should go to the observatory; let's name a star after her." I blushed, Raios always knew just what to suggest, and I knew what would be better. "I'll name it after her mama." Lucy had adored her mother, Layla had been an astronomer before passing away, and I knew my big sis had wanted to be one as well until her father forced her how to learn to run a business. After Jude's passing she'd shunned everything, save for a few memories here and there, and now I had something I could give her that would make things better.

We left the mall, taking the crowded trolley instead of a taxi, and I listened to Chelia and Raios talk as I looked around. A weird feeling crawled up my spine, like I was being watched, and I gave a casual look around the train; there was someone staring at me, a tall man with red eyes and white hair, he had glasses on but he was staring right at me. "Sting." I whispered softly, making him follow my gaze, and Sting's hand shot down to grip mine tightly as Raios seemed to notice that something was wrong. I didn't like the way he was looking at me, he wasn't even blinking, and Raios tugged my other hand as the trolley stopped. We got off, heading for the biggest crowd, and as we weaved through people I knew Sting and Raios were looking around for that guy. "Who was that?" Chelia asked, keeping pace with us, and I shrugged. "I don't even know but he was staring at me...it was so weird." I was shaking, a little scared, and I felt Raios's grip on my hand tighten as Sting pulled us up to the booth to pay for entry to the observatory. After getting in we chanced a look back, seeing nothing, and I slowly began to relax. Paranoia made me check my cellphone, no texts from Lucy, and we stepped inside. There was a tall guard, rather muscular with black hair and dark eyes, who had a name tag that read 'Alistar T. Bova' and he gave us a friendly smile as we passed. A few employees meandered around, two were obviously the cleaning staff and they wore a maid suit and a butler's suit respectively, and as we entered the large room I noticed the man in the white suit pants and green blazer with a large mustache and kind eyes behind red glasses.

"Hello, my friends! Welcome to the Celestial World Observatory, I am the astronomer in charge, please call me Oberon S. Regium." He bowed, smiling warmly and youthfully despite his age, and his white hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Hello. I'm Wendy Marvell and these are my friends Sting Eucliff, Chelia Blendy, and Raios Cheney. I was interested in naming a star." The astronomer smiled brightly. "I see! Well you've come to the right place. Let's pick a star for you." I was led up to the telescope and sat down, Oberon was very cheerful and helped me pick the brightest star, and he even gave me a picture of it as well as it's location so I could show Lucy. "Now what did you want to name it?" I smiled gently. "Layla M. Heartfilia." His eyes softened more, if it was even possible, and he typed up the certificate and handed it to me. "Layla was a good friend of mine, we were colleagues, and she used to work here before she got pregnant. I never got to meet Lucy except for when she was born, she was a lovely child, but everyone here knew Layla well. In fact Marielle and Djali, my maid and butler, used to work for her before her passing." The pink haired maid and tall bespectacled man bowed low and I couldn't help but smile.

"I'll have to bring my big sis by..." I whispered, knowing she'd probably be happy, and Oberon smiled warmly. "Please do, we welcome everyone, and enjoy your star my friend." I hugged the framed plaque tightly and was led outside by Sting and Raios. "Lucy'll be so happy." Sting whispered, earning a smile, and Chelia looked between all of us with a curious expression. "Sorry, Chelia, but it's not my secret to tell." She only shrugged. "That's alright, Wendy. Let's go-" She never finished her sentence as we stepped onto the street, the man with white hair was there and waiting for us, and this time beside him was a tan skinned man with wild brown hair and eyes. "You're Wendy Marvell, eh? Well we got orders from the Boss Man to bring ya in." The new stranger commented with a laugh, Sting and Raios moving to stand in front of me, and Chelia glared too. "Who the hell do you think you are? Kidnapping is illegal, ya know!" Sting shouted, being loud on purpose, and the men both laughed. "If it was legal then there'd be cause for concern, kid." The darker skinned man replied with a smirk, my hands going to my cell in my pocket, but the men seemed to notice.

They both drew guns, pointing right at us, and shook their heads. "I'm sorry, Miss Marvell, please put your hands where we can see them." Fear made me tremble. "Why are you after me?" They both raised their brows and smiles slid across their faces, the dark skinned man's smile was creepy but the paler male's smile was cruel. "To secure our biggest pay day yet." They wanted Lucy's money, I didn't need to be a genius to know that, and I glared at them defiantly. "No! I won't let you use me like that, you'll have to kill me." I went for my phone, I would not become a damn victim to jerks like this, I wasn't going to be the reason Lucy suffered. "You little-" The two men grunted in pain as something hit them, hard, and the two women chuckled as they stood over them. I knew them both, their hair tied in buns while they wore suits, it was Kyouka and Seilah. Mard had introduced us to the guards he'd hired, all of them, and told us that he'd leave us be unless we called for him. "Are you alright, Wendy?" Seilah asked softly, her dark eyes shining with concern, and I nodded. "Y-yes." The women smiled. "Call the police, we'll wait here with you, we have to call Mard and tell him what happened." Kyouka explained before grabbing her phone, Sting calling Natsu, and I couldn't help but clutch my plaque tighter. Things were spiraling out of control and I was afraid for myself and for Lucy.

* * *

I was angry, that was the only way to describe my feelings right now, and as I pounded away at the punching bag I replayed the conversation from that day over and over; I'd managed to keep control but what I'd learned was unsettling, to say the least, and I couldn't imagine anyone was prepared for what was going to happen soon.

 _Everlue was sitting with a smug expression on his face when Laxus entered the room, sitting across from the man as I watched from behind the one-way mirror; he wouldn't know I was there but I could listen to every word he said. "Who do you have hiding behind the glass, Chief? Don't I have a right to know just who I am speaking in front of?" The toady bastard was still a fucking twit, thought he was so much better than everyone, and I wanted to just go in there and beat the ever living hell out of him. "We brought you in on charges of stalking, Phineas Everlue, and I want to know why you were following Jenny Realight home from her work place." Laxus' tone left no room for arguing, a lesser man always fell to that voice, and Everlue was trembling in his chair. Like his grandfather Makarov, the wonderful old man that had saved the whole group of kids from that damned Balam mess, Laxus had inherited the presence that struck fear into the hearts of those he found his enemies. Everlue was falling apart at the seams already. "Jenny Realight has influence in Magnolia Weekly, she has money and prestige and is a well known writer for the magazine; if I could pay her to put my scripted articles into the magazine..." He fell silent but I heard every word he didn't say._ 'I can get the message out to Ajeel that we can start phase two.' _Phase two of what though._

" _Come on into the room." Laxus called out, looking right at the glass, and I smirked as I walked to the door; Erza wouldn't know about this, yet, so Everlue would have to deal with_ me _now. As I entered the room his thoughts went wild, he definitely remembered me, and I sat down beside Laxus. In uniform I was an intimidating man, hell out of uniform I was intimidating, but now that he knew I was an official police officer and not a street punk he was terrified. Rightly so. "Hey there, Phineas." He trembled, my voice was low and level, I was fighting to keep control. "So, got a question for ya, phase two of what plan?" He stiffened, mouth dropping open, and I smirked. "I can read your mind, fuck wad, so what's phase two and why are you talking to Ajeel Lamur?" The tan skinned man was a historian who was obsessed with mummification and had turned criminal when he was caught kidnapping and performing the mummification ritual on prostitutes in Alvarez. "I won't say anything more." His lawyer, who had been silent up until now, gave us a hard look; it was obvious the man hated Everlue since he seemed to just want to get out of here "My client will plead guilty to stalking and take the month sentence and the restraining order. Are we finished here?" The easy way out, that's what he was doing, and I sneered._

" _I still have questions for him, Azuma." The lawyer nodded and I glared right at Everlue; his thoughts were a plethora of information and he was unknowingly giving himself up, volunteering information. "So you work for someone known as Spriggan, from Alvarez, and your plan is to start up a drug trafficking ring using children?" Everlue was shaking, Laxus' expression hardened, and I gave the toad a harsh glare. "You forget that I was one of those kids you thought to use, that before I was freed from that you used to cut me open and hide bags of drugs inside of me before sending me to meet your buyers." I knew the pain and horror he planned to cause to many innocent kids, I'd experienced that hell personally along with the sick fuckery involved with perverted men who liked to rape young boys. "Isn't there a law against reading minds?" Everlue was searching for an out, looking to Azuma, and the man frowned. "This is a strange scenario, I've never encountered it so I've never thought to look for any laws about that, but to my knowledge there aren't." At least he was an honest lawyer, Azuma had once been a cruel man and could still be considered such but he took his job seriously as well as the law. He had a sister who'd been a part of the Balam Sex Ring, she had been a part of Erza's block, and Milianna had been through a lot of hell that Azuma had to clean up._

 _Everlue frowned, looking something between alarmed and nervous, and I met his gaze again._ 'This little punk thinks he's all that, I knew I should have killed him when he attacked Junelle. I'll have to tell Spriggan somehow to use whatever influence he's got to get me out of here...but how to get the message across.' _My eyes narrowed and I crossed my arms. "We need to find out who Spriggan is, what's his connection and drive to get drugs between Fiore and Alvarez, and for that...well it just means we have more reason to keep an extra eye on you Phineas." He trembled, knowing we'd keep good on watching him, and apparently decided to talk. "Spriggan is Alvarez' most known Drug Lord, he's got eyes everywhere, he probably already knows I've been captured. I don't know any of the people in Fiore who work for him other than myself, he always kept us in the dark about things like that, but all I want is money." He wasn't lying, like any arrogant man he was after money and power, he wanted to be someone people feared and the only people that would fear him were kids who had nobody else. Azuma's eyes were hard, his mouth drawn into a thin line, and Laxus looked at the lawyer. "Three months in prison, a restraining order of fifty yards minimal distance to Miss Jenny Realight, and six months probation that will be monitored by the Crocus Police Force." Azuma accepted the sentence, wanting nothing more to do with Everlue, and I left the room as Everlue sputtered about just being released only to go back to prison and how unfair it was._

The leather of the bag ripped under the pressure of my fists, sand spilling out of it and falling to the floor in a steady stream, and I heard soft footsteps as Erza removed the broken punching bag and moved it to the side of the room that we left the broken ones to be repaired. "We got permission from Toma E. Fiore, the Council of Era, and the Four Guardians of Ishgal to use excessive force to get information from Everlue about his plans for the drug trafficking." I looked at her, waiting, and she motioned to the door. "Laxus wants you to handle it, Erik, I came to drop off some forms and he asked me to find you." Erza was one of the few who could face me when I was in a mood, she was quick as hell and offered a nice challenge, and I blinked slowly before following her into the main room after getting the sand off my hands and shoes. Natsu, Gajeel, Elfman, Bisca, Alzack, Bickslow...really all the other officers were silent as I stalked past them toward the room I knew Laxus was waiting for me in. I closed the door and smirked in satisfaction as Everlue squealed like a little girl, my hands slamming down onto the table before him, and Laxus looked at me. "No killing, no poison, just use your fists." My smirk widened before a grin formed on my face. "The King of Fiore himself has decided that you're not worth safety, Everlue, and now you'll be under my tender mercy." Oh, watching him tremble made the week wait worth it, and I was grinning as I realized Everlue had pissed himself already.

"Now, let's see what I can get out of you. What message were you trying to pass through the articles you wanted Jenny to publish?" An easy question to anyone who wanted to avoid getting their nose broken. "I wanted to send a message to the other organizers of the Balam Ring that I was out." I walked around the table and looked down at him. "So you plan to restart the Balam Sex Ring then, as well as get into drug trafficking?" Everlue nodded and I couldn't resist grabbing the back of his neck. "Who is Spriggan?" He let out a whimper. "I don't know." I slammed his face into the table, the fucker was lying and I could tell since he was _trying_ to block me out. "Tell me what you know." He whimpered as I let him up a bit, his forehead red from hitting the table, and he let out a small noise of fear. "I've only ever talked to him on the phone, he sounds young, and he's planning to take over the entire drug cartel between Ishgal and Alvarez; once he gets established in Fiore he plans to move onto Bosco." I glanced at Laxus, who had a very dark look on his face, and the Chief of Police knew he would have to call in to the royal guard. The King would be interested in that someone from Alvarez was trying to start a drug cartel between the two continents.

"Erik, you have five minutes alone with him, find out who is involved." I nodded and, still holding Everue's neck, looked down at the man as Laxus left to contact the King so the coastal city of Siren Lagoon could be investigated for possible corruption. "So, Everlue, you heard the man." I started, grinning down at the little bastard, and he gave a quiver of fear before stuttering out some nonsense; it earned his face another greeting with the table. "I don't need nonsense, Everlue, I need the truth. You tell me everyone who is involved from Spriggan to the little worms you're planning to hire." Everlue shook his head and I grinned as I jerked him to his feet, still handcuffed, and pushed him to the wall. "You don't seem to realize the position you're in. I can use as much force as I want, without killing you, to make you talk by the permission of the King himself; the Council of Era and the Guardians of Ishgal also approved the use of force." I grabbed his arm and twisted it, the angle would cause the bone to snap if he moved too much or if I chose to do so. "S-spriggan has twelve Generals, all of which are involved. I only know of Ajeel Lamur, Invel, and Dimaria; they s-said they had a pay day to get in order to secure passage into Ishgal and I don't know where they plan to get the money, they would need millions and I don't have it." I knew that behind the glass Laxus was listening and I was hoping he came to the same conclusion I had, only one person was on the run from the public eye with millions of dollars and it would be easy to catch her if you knew where to look, if he wasn't on the damned phone with her now then I'd kick his ass too.

"So Spriggan has people in Alvarez. What about here in Fiore?" Everlue trembled and I slammed him into the wall, his nose snapping from the force, and I knew there'd be a blood stain. It was kind of refreshing to know he was the one cowering in fear now. "T-there are...we have a few people. Rustyrose, Zancrow, Kain, Crawford, Zoldeo-" I broke his arm with that name being said, Lucy had been positive the former friend of her parents had been locked up in Crocus' prison. Either they had someone in Crocus or he'd gotten out. "Zoldeo, huh? Well I can't wait to get my hands on that slippery fucker too. So, Everlue, you got quite the number of people helping ya." He was cooperating so I couldn't be too excessive, and I let out a noise of irritation as Laxus returned. "We got a bigger problem, Gajeel and Natsu are bringing in Ajeel and Invel." I glanced at Laxus with an expression full of murderous intent, I'd caught it in his mind, they'd been after Wendy. "Good. I'll beat the shit out of them too." Everlue whimpered and tried to pull his arm free, no doubt in pain since I'd broken the bone, and I let him fall to the floor. "You're pathetic, Cobra, how could you become a police mutt? You used to be terrifying, hearing your name made _everyone_ afraid." My eyes lowered to his form and I looked at Laxus, who turned around, before kicking the man hard in the ribs; they broke with the sheer force. "I had a fucked up childhood, Everlue, and you're part of the reason for that; then I got tricked again and pushed into a life where I realized that I was _wrong_ and that the three other people I cared about where in danger. Being a cop gives me the ability to make sure nobody gets hurt the way I did and I'm _still_ someone to fear. I hope you enjoy prison because I plan to tell the inmates just what you did. Remember, Everlue, even murderers have kids." He trembled as I stood up again, leaving the room, and I knew Laxus was taking him back to his cell.

* * *

My whole face was red, it had to be, and Mard simply took my hand and escorted me to the small lunch he'd arranged for us today; Lucy had finally told me the truth, as with most of the employees at Fairy Tail, and I appreciated that she was looking out for me. Mard had been a sweetheart, so far, and I had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. They both had said they'd been good friends as kids and I was trusted his concern as that of a friend. "Mirajane, is something the matter?" I blushed and shook my head. "No, Mard, I always space out." It was true, I had a tendency to drift off in thought and forget where I was and what I was doing, and he chuckled. "It's quite alright. I'm just happy to have your company." All we were doing was eating lunch before I worked on my newest song and he read a book, nothing like an amusement park or something overly romantic. But it was still sweet. "I'm glad to be here, it's very relaxing." It was true, he'd picked a small gazebo in the park to rent out and now we were simply enjoying the nice breeze of the day. He'd even picked some of my favorite foods, it surprised me that he remembered something as simple as that all from one conversation.

"So, Mirajane, do you perform the songs you write?" I blushed. "Sometimes, mostly for my family, but I'm not looking to become a famous singer or songwriter. I have my family and my friends and that's all I really need." His smile warmed me, made me feel like I was back in high school, and I couldn't help the stupid smile that formed on my face in return. "That's a wonderful way to look at it, Mirajane." I smiled and we sat down to eat, the conversation was light and comfortable. "So, Mard, do you live in Magnolia?" I had yet to figure out if he was a resident or a visitor. "I've purchased a house here, actually, because I had the plan to simply watch over Lucy without making my presence known. Then I realized she'd gotten involved with Erik." I stiffened. "Why are you worried about that? Erik is a good man." Mard sighed. "A good man he is, I've seen the astonishing work he's put into protecting the community, but his past is trouble and if Lucy gets involved...I'm worried her secret will be pushed out into focus and she'll lose the anonymity she's finally managed to find." I nodded, glancing at him, and seeing the worry on his face made him seem...soft. "Do you...do you love Lucy?" He looked surprised and chuckled. "As nothing more than a sibling, Mirajane, I assure you. Lucy and I were raised together, I was one of the few friends she had growing up, and when her father forced her to become and heiress...I wasn't able to see her after that. I'd thought when Jude passed that she'd seek me out but instead she shunned everything and left it all, I was scared that she didn't think I cared for her after she gave everything up, so I just watched her from afar. If she ran into trouble I was willing to be there to help. Part of the reason I pursued being a lawyer was so I could be someone she could depend on if she needed legal help. Say with a stalker, her story being exposed, things of that nature." His sincerity startled me, making me smile, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I'm always trying to shelter my brother and sister from things too, Elfman is a police officer though so it's not like I can hide him from how cruel humans are...Lisanna on the other hand is still rather naive. For the longest time she lived with our cousins in the mountains, she didn't know how to live in a city or that not everyone could be trusted, so I've given her everything she needs shy of a harsh display of just how awful people really are. I can't...I can't find it in my heart to show or tell her what I know she needs to learn." Mard's hand covered one of mine. "I have two of my guards, Kyouka and Seilah, they can seem cruel but they really do care for people; would you be interested in Lisanna learning how to fight from them, they would be taking her into the city and teaching her street brawling as well as martial arts." It was an interesting idea, brawling wasn't uncommon in Fairy Tail and Lisanna often just hid behind the bar or under a table until it cleared. "Let me see what she wants to do." He nodded and I caught a flash of green out of the corner of my eye, Freed was sitting near the tree with his face buried in a book while talking with Laki. It was cute. "You're the cupid of your friends, aren't you? Your eyes sparkle whenever you see a couple." I blushed crimson. "I just enjoy seeing people being happy." It was the truth, I just loved it when people were happy.

Mard gave me a smile and blinked as his phone began to ring. "Kyouka?" His eyes grew wider as he listened to what was being said before he let out a sigh. "Please make sure the four of them get home safely, especially Wendy, I'll try and find or speak with Lucy." He hung up the phone and looked at me. "Someone was trying to kidnap Wendy." I shivered nervously. "So it's begun then?" He nodded and we finished lunch. "The songs and books can wait, let's find Lucy." He nodded and the pair of us cleaned up before I grabbed my cell to call the blond.

* * *

We were having a good time, after discovering that our pasts weren't so different, and Sorano was currently trying on dresses with Lucy. I smiled softly, my capri pants and sneakers paired with a dark blue jersey from the police academy training camp, and watched the pair show off the gorgeous outfits. "Come on, Erza, you too." They gave me a deep indigo dress with white and red roses embroidered along the bottom hem, it had a plunging V neck, and as I stepped into the changing booth and tried on the new look I could hear the pair whispering something excitedly. Since most people didn't treat me like a woman I wasn't used to having girlfriends who dragged me to the mall or made me try on dresses and makeup, so as I put on the dark purple number and looked at myself I couldn't help but stare at my reflection. Dresses were not what I'd ever pick to wear willingly, it was impractical to fight in a dress, but looking at myself...I felt beautiful. "Stop staring at yourself, let us see." Sorano commented with a light chuckle, her arrogant tone back in place since we were out at the mall, and I stepped out of the changing room. "Erza! You look gorgeous!" Lucy commented with a beaming smile.

"She's right, you look good, consider this my present." Sorano declared with a smirk, meaning she was going to buy this for me, and I shook my head. "N-no. I can't think of an event that I'll need it." Sorano looked alarmed. "Every woman needs a beautiful dress, including you, and since you haven't had girlfriends as amazing as us before nobody has ever made sure you had one." I huffed, trying not to seem annoyed, and she grinned as she pushed me back into the changing room. After getting back into my normal clothes Sorano did indeed buy me the dress, and she bought Lucy the dark magenta dress the blond had tried on, while Lucy purchased Sorano the silvery blue dress that she'd modeled. It was indeed a fun day to spend with the girls and I was glad I was here. We'd gone to lunch, which Lucy had insisted on paying for, then we'd decided to take a trip to the local shops ran by local business owners rather than the department stores at the mall, and now we were window shopping and trying on clothes and shoes. "Ah, Mira?" Lucy had answered her phone, going deathly still, and my phone began to ring.

"Cheif?" He rarely called me on my day off. "Are you with Lucy?" I nodded and then remembered he couldn't see me. "Yes, sir, she's here with me." He sounded angry. "Her sister was almost kidnapped, Mard's body guards saved her. Wendy, Chelia, Sting, and Raios are here at the station along with Ajeel Lamur and Invel Winter." I could tell that Lucy was pale. "I'll bring her." He nodded and I guided her steps, Sorano following, and Lucy hung up her cell. "Wendy...she was..." I nodded and we started walking toward the trolley. "She's safe, at the station, don't worry." I reassured the blond, Sorano looking between us, and Lucy was shaking badly. Things were beginning to fall apart, truths were being revealed, and everyone's pasts were coming back to haunt them it seemed.

* * *

 **The paths are starting to converge, Mard's worry came true in a bad way, and now we have a clearer view of the bad guys. I'm not doing a chapter preview for the next chapter only because I want to surprise ya with this one. Unlikely heroes, surprising truths, and a bit of a reassurance for Lucy that she and Wendy will be okay.**


	9. Ring the Alarm

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **RING THE ALARM**

* * *

 _Laxus' POV_

Things were spiraling out of control, with the sudden exposure of the truth I'd known shit would start up but not like this, and Wendy was trembling as Kyouka and Seilah sat on either side of her. Sting and Raios were leaning on the wall beside their brothers while Chelia was perched on a table, Erik was pacing the room and felt my chest clench painfully as the door opened and Mirajane strode in with Mard Geer. "Is Lucy here yet?" She asked, looking right at me, and I shook my head. "No, she's with Erza though, they'll be here-" I never got to finish as the distraught blond rushed into the room, wrapping her arms around Wendy as soon as she saw her, and Erik turned his head sharply to her slender form as she held her sister close. "Where are they?" I had to strain to hear Lucy's voice, it was soft spoken, and when she turned to look at me her eyes blazed with a fire that I'd never seen before. I suddenly knew why Erik had fallen hard for her, she was beautiful and vibrant, and her anger gave her a level of beauty that was new to me.

"Where are those two fuckers that tried to kidnap my sister." Erza smirked, as did Erik, and I felt like I was missing something. "Tell her, Chief Overload, because she is really pissed." Sorano commented with a chuckle as she leaned on the wall beside Gajeel, no doubt having been told the truth about Lucy, and I sighed. "I can't-" The blond girl surprised me by slamming her hand down on the table, hard, and even Gajeel looked mildly impressed. "You _will_ tell me, dammit, because I'm going to find out who the fuck this Spriggan bastard is and kill him my damn self." Her face was flushed, chest heaving, and I ran a hand through my hair. "I'll let you _talk_ to them. With supervision." Lucy crossed her arms under her breasts, making them raise enough that her cleavage was all the more tempting, and I felt Erik's narrowed eyes on me as I fought to keep my gaze on her face. "Fine. Wendy, stay here." The child nodded and Lucy paused as she looked at the two women. "Thank you." Kyouka and Seilah both nodded, smiles soft, and Lucy looked at Mard Geer.

I could see the tension in her shoulders, see the expression on her face as she looked at him, but she seemed to relax as she studied him. "Thank you, Mard, for coming here." He offered his own tentative smile and damn if Mirajane's lovely smile didn't make my heart thunder in my chest. Lucy was gorgeous but Mirajane was a goddess in my eyes, the most beautiful woman there was, and in pushing her away she'd finally found someone else it seemed. "We're fr-...we _were_ fr-...we always watched out for each other." He struggled to name what they were and Lucy took his hands in hers. "We _are_ friends." She assured him before placing his hands in Mira's, who was blushing red, and I looked away to avoid the pain in my chest. "Come on. Lucy." I led the blond down the hall, Erik taking it upon himself to follow, and Gajeel had decided to come too. Ajeel and Invel looked up as the door opened, staring as Lucy walked into the room and stood in front of them, Erik and Gajeel flanked her while I leaned against the wall.

Ajeel grinned. "Well hello, I wasn't aware that there were any police officers as sexy as you." He leered, his dark eyes shining, and her scowl returned full force. "I'm not a cop, actually, but that's beside the point. You're going to tell me how to get in touch with Spriggan." Her smile was dark, her eyes holding a gleam of insanity I wouldn't have associated with her, and Erik's expression was tense. "Oh? Why would we do that?" Invel asked, looking amused, and Lucy wrapped her hands in the collar of his shirt and slammed his back into the wall; his cuffed hands hitting first so there had to be some pain in his shoulders, his glasses sliding and sitting askew. "I'm the woman he plans to get his 'pay day' from, ass wipe, so you talk or I beat the shit out of you. Take your pick." He stared back at her, as if in disbelief, and Ajeel coughed. " _You're_ Lucy Heartfilia?! You don't act like no rich bitch brat." She really didn't but that was part of the appeal with the lovely blond.

"Oh yes. Now spill it." Invel grunted as she pushed him harder into the wall, no doubt making sure his hands and arms rubbed the stone wall, and he hissed in pain as she pulled him back and made sure his head smacked against the stone hard. "You can get arrested for this." Ajeel warned, looking at the police officers, and Lucy looked at him over her shoulder. Her smile was sweet, her posture at odds with her bright expression, and her tone was a warning. "One of my dear friends is the best damn lawyer in the whole continent, I'm friends with the Princess Hisui E. Fiore herself, and I'm pretty sure nobody in the room would report what I'd done." Erik shook his head, Gajeel did too, and I smirked. "Blondie has legal immunity right now, so you'd best talk." Ajeel and Invel exchanged terrified looks. "S-spriggan will kill us if we talk." Invel sounded worried, for once, and Lucy tilted her head as she turned to look at him.

"I can make you wish you were dead if you don't talk, so you had best pick your poison."

* * *

 _Erik's POV_

Somehow she was blocking me out, her mind was utterly and completely blank, and damn if it wasn't the most refreshing feeling to focus in and hear _nothing_. But now wasn't the time to be happy, now was the time to be concerned, Lucy was going to lose her shit on the guys and I wasn't able to figure out what moves she'd make or how far she'd go. I knew what it was like to be a monster but she didn't, she shouldn't have to, I would not let her become what I was. Laxus tensed as she delivered a devastating right hook to Invel's ribs, the bone fracturing under the force of her punch, and Gajeel locked eyes with me. Something was wrong, how had Spriggan known about Lucy's adoption of Wendy and the reveal of who he was in such a short amount of time. A shout and a bang from down the hall alerted us, Gajeel leaving the room to investigate, and I looked at Laxus as the Chief moved to follow. Invel whimpered again and finally spoke up. "H-his name is Zeref Dragneel." Lucy nearly dropped Invel and I knew what the shout had been in that single instant. Fucking. Natsu. I was angry, irrationally angry, and Lucy's hands gripped mine tightly. "Erza is in there, Sorano is in there, Kyouka is in there, Seilah is in there, and Mirajane is in there. Wendy will be okay, I trust them, we need to get information from these two." Her eyes were level, her mind clear, and I could feel her worry for her sister as if it were my own worry; I struggled to stay still and finally I just nodded, she was right, and I knew the Chief wouldn't let any harm come to Wendy.

"So, Zeref Dragneel is Spriggan, what's he looking to gain in becoming a drug lord all over the world other than a one way ticket to a Crown sanctioned execution?" I watched as she blanked out again, switching back to her cold persona, and then I realized _why_ it was like that; Lucy suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Multiple Personality Disorder depending on the term you preferred to use, and while I could get a clear reading on one of her personalities the others were protected by the main one. "Now I understand." Lucy, or the person that had taken over, looked at me and smirked. "Call me Artemis." She commented with a wink and I knew what had triggered this disorder, it was just confusing that Lucy didn't show the same forgetful traits that most with the disorder often showed, in fact Lucy clearly remembered her trauma as a child. Meaning Artemis had manifested after that fiasco started, after Lucy suffered, and then she was given a way to be free of pain in the future; I studied Artemis' mind as she interrogated Invel and Ajeel, the tape recorder was going so I didn't have to listen that closely, and I realized that Artemis _shared_ with Lucy what she'd done while keeping out the gruesome details. Artemis wouldn't ever tell Lucy if she'd murdered someone but she would tell her if she kicked their ass, it was a mutualism symbiotic relationship.

The only other person I knew with DID was Mirajane, the white haired bar maid was great at hiding it because it was rare that it acted up, and Lucy's case was _just_ like Mirajane's. Somehow the two of them defied what psychologists knew of DID, whether Lucy had been diagnosed or not being the question, but there were more personalities involved then since there had to be at least two. "Erik." I looked at the blond and knew I was looking at Lucy again as her eyes and mind cleared up, her expression grim, and I recognized the _physical_ differences in each one of them now. Artemis was brash, crude, and all around ready to kick ass; Lucy was more reserved, a bit feisty, but she was more relaxed where Artemis was more tense from caution. Interesting. I scanned her mind, she'd just asked if we should check on the others, and I looked at the two men; they were terrified but unmarked, rather impressive really, and I grabbed the recorder from the table and locked the door behind us as we left the room.

* * *

 _Mirajane's POV_

I shared a worried look with Mard as Lucy left the room, Kyouka and Seilah standing up to pace, Sting and Raios wrapped an arm around Wendy's shoulders and Chelia looked at them all with a soft eyes. It was obvious that despite not knowing what was going on the pink haired teen would stand beside her friend no matter the trouble, I was rather impressed seeing as her cousin Sherry was a brat, but my gaze locked onto Natsu's form as his hand slid down to his belt. "Natsu?" He looked up and I blanched as he smirked, an expression I hadn't seen on his face before, and then he grinned darkly and pulled his gun out. Erza was in motion with Kyouka and Seilah, and the sound of the gun shot rang through the room after Mard let out a loud cry of surprise. My eyes widened as I watched the body fall, a crimson puddle forming on the ground, and Chelia was eerily still; she'd protected Wendy from being shot. "Chelia!" The blue haired teen screamed as Sting looked horrified, his eyes wide with fear and sadness, and as Erza subdued Natsu I crouched down to check on Chelia's vitals.

I knew Mard was staring but I ignored his look, the girl was still alive for now, and Seilah had gone to get an ambulance; with ease I ripped a portion of my dress, using it to staunch the blood flow, and when I looked up at Mard again I could tell he knew. There was more to me than just Mirajane Strauss, I had Halphas and Sitri and Saso too, and he could see that now. "Why the fuck would you do that?" Erza roared as she cuffed the pink haired cop, his eyes gleaming with anger, and the door opened to Lucy and Erik. "His brother is Spriggan." Lucy spoke softly, or at least it seemed like Lucy, but I could see it in her too; she was just like me, there was more to her than just Lucille Ashley. "What do you mean?" Sting whispered, scared, and the blond woman shook her head. "Not you, Sting, his older brother Zeref Dragneel." The blond let out a sad whimper. "B-but...he said he was alone and that he wanted a little brother." Erik looked sad and the EMT's took Chelia so they could save her, my hands stained with blood, and Mard used his handkerchief to help get rid of it. "He was going to train you to become a drug trafficker, Sting, I'm sorry." The blond boy was shaking. "I don't wanna go back." The foster system of Magnolia was horrendous, no matter how many times Makarov or Laxus intervened. "You won't. Wendy's adoption was finalized last week and I'll take you too, you'll be Sting Eucliff-Ashley." He looked up at Lucy, as did everyone, and Mard hummed.

"Too damn nice sometimes." The lawyer whispered, watching as Sting wrapped himself around the blond, and Laxus sighed softly. "Your apartment won't be safe, now that this shit is out, Lucy." He commented, and he was right, I felt awful in that moment that I wouldn't be able to do much to help. Erza took Natsu and tossed him in the room with Invel and Ajeel for now, so nobody would hear what was said, and it was Gajeel who spoke up first. "I got a place...not my apartment before you all flip shit. I have a house about ten minutes out of the city that I don't tell anyone about, it's got the most updated security system and reinforced doors and windows. Other than me and Raios only Levy's ever been there so it's safe, Lucy can move in tonight." The blond woman regarded Gajeel with a soft smile. "Thanks...Stud Face." He looked at her and sighed. "Sure thing, Bunny Girl." Erik rolled his eyes before looking at Gajeel. "You take Lucy, Wendy, Raios, and Sting to get settled in. I'll pack up Lucy's place and bring her things here, Erza can get Sting's belongings and bring them here, and Mard...we're gonna need legal help." The lawyer looked at Erik and smiled.

"Of course, Erik, I owe you for watching out for my friend." It was time to figure this out and fight back. "I'll talk to the staff at Fairy Tail to keep an ear out for any rumors or news." I knew Laxus was staring at me, I rarely got my staff involved in police investigations, but seeing as my employees could listen in and wheedle out information without looking suspicious...it was something I knew he wouldn't turn down. "Thanks...Mira." I smiled at him to reassure him, I was upset that he had rejected me but we were still friends, and I wouldn't lose his friendship.

* * *

 _Levy's POV_

It was quiet at Fairy Tail, the diner usually was, and I smiled as I left for the day to head to Gajeel's place; he'd taken me to his _real_ home, not the bad apartment in the darker edge of the city, and we'd spent a long time talking about why I didn't care about the past and offering him reassurance that I wasn't afraid of him. I stopped as the woman with short blond hair and brown eyes stood before me, her expression was dark, and I knew something was wrong. "Levy McGarden?" She asked in a soft voice, her pitch high, and I frowned deeper. How the hell did she know my name. "I'm Dimaria Yesta, I was told to bring you in by Master Spriggan." Gajeel had told me about Wendy's almost kidnap over the phone, he'd warned me that people were popping up after Lu-chan, and I glared at the woman and grabbed my taser gun that Gajeel had made sure to get me. "You can back off now." I warned, tensing when she pulled out a real gun, and as she moved to click off the safety she was punched from behind and crumpled.

"Tch. Weak bitch. You alright, Lev?" I looked at the male in surprise, I didn't recognize him at all, and he grinned. His hair was chin length, swept over his left eye, and he wore heavy black boots and cargo pants with a green ribbed muscle shirt and black work gloves. "Oh, right, I'm Jackal! Mard had me stationed in Alvarez to learn who the hell Spriggan was and whatnot, just got home, but I would've recognized Dimaria anywhere. I'll take her to the prison, I know they got Invel and Ajeel there too, be careful." He was oddly cheerful, a bit confident, but friendly. "Wait, I'm coming with you." He blinked and shrugged. "Sure." I walked up beside him as he cuffed Dimaria and slid her weapons into his own pockets and we walked toward the station together.

* * *

 **So we have bad guy Natsu, Lucy and Mirajane both have mental disorders, and our surprise heroes are Chelia and Jackal. I marked who's POV we're in this time around so you don't have to figure it out halfway through their section. I don't write in POV's like this ever sooo...yea.**


	10. Our Truth

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **OUR TRUTH**

* * *

 _Gajeel's POV_

" _Jackal, one of Mard's guys, saved me from Dimaria Yesta. We're on our way to the station with her now."_ I knew it was irrational but I was angry that I hadn't been there to save her. "You be extra careful, Lev, if somethin' happens to you-" I heard her scoff on the other end of the line. _"I know, Gaj, relax. Jackal is with me, I have the taser, and we just got to the station."_ I nodded, pulling up to the gate of my house and punching in my access code, and as I pulled around the bend I parked in front of the door and watched Raios take the others inside as I stayed back to talk with Lev. "You're coming over tonight, right?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to make her stay with us until Spriggan was stopped, and she hummed. _"Yea, do you want me to wait for you to come get me?"_ I didn't want anyone tagging her car in the time that she wasn't using it so I nodded and then spoke up. "Yea, I'll get Bunny Girl settled in and come get ya from your place, make sure you have someone with ya." I reminded her, earning a giggle. _"Alright, Gaj, I'll do that. Thanks, for helping Lu-chan, I appreciate it."_ I couldn't help but huff, the damned blond was a trouble magnet and a half, and I heard her chuckle a bit.

"Text me when you're home." I reminded her, earning a soft reassurance from her, and I hung up the phone and peered around my yard; Raios and I had been adopted by a pair of brothers, our fathers were rich as hell, so we'd both agreed to buy this place when they went missing. I hadn't been kidding when I said that the house had the most up-to-date security system, there were cameras around the outside of the house that would trigger an alert to my phone whenever something moved into the field of vision. The doors and windows had sensors whenever anything passed through the invisible field that would trigger the camera with sight on that field to warn my phone too, I didn't have cameras inside though since I could handle that himself, and I was constantly disregarding bugs and critters that got too close. The fence had a field lining the top as well so if someone or something climbed over it and entered the yard he'd know. Call me paranoid but after escaping the clutches of the former mayor Jose, I had been nothing more than his bruiser and dog, and I had learned to be overly careful. Raios had nearly died that night and I refused to ever let that shit happen again.

"Gajeel?" Lucy asked softly, her brown eyes meeting mine, and I realized I must have been zoning out. "Yea?" No point in pretending like I'd been listening or anything, she wasn't stupid, and she nibbled her lower lip before sliding her arms around me. "Thanks, for everything, and I'm really really sorry that you're involved and if there's any-" I stopped her before she could finish. "Oi, listen up Bunny. I know you didn't mean for anyone to figure out who you were, that was the point of you changing yer name and shut. But I don't give two damns about any of that, you're my friend and the best friend of my girl, _you_ are the one who wanted to leave that past of yours behind and I'll stand by you no matter what just like Lev will. It doesn't matter that I got involved, I would have any way since I'm a cop, but I'm not gonna let you stay at risk any more than you are. We're gonna find Zeref Dragneel, beat his ass, get rid of the damn drug and slave trafficking, and then we're all gonna fucking move on." I reassured her, searching her face, and tears gathered in her eyes; I returned her hug and sighed. "I won't let you face this alone, neither will any of the others." The blond nodded and I rubbed her back, she had every right to cry and be upset, and when she stopped shaking I knew she was fine.

"I'm waiting on Lev to text me, she'll be staying with us, when I go to pick her up just stay here with the kids." I watched her nod. "Got it. I'll start on dinner too." I wanted to argue but I kept my mouth shut. "Alright." I watched her head inside and blinked when she looked back at me. "Do you have any food allergies?" I shook my head and she nodded. "Got it." Then she was inside and heading for the kitchen.

* * *

 _Erza's POV_

I looked at Natsu, really looked at him, and a part of me wondered how he'd been able to _hide_ who he really was for so long. His dark gold eyes were narrowed, his mouth curled into an unfamiliar sneer, and he just seemed far more...angry. "Natsu-" He let out a loud, rather obnoxious, groan. "Look, Erza, I'm not tellin' ya a damn thing. So step the fuck back and leave me alone." His tone had even changed, drastically, and I crossed my arms under my chest as I regarded him again. "Natsu...why would you do that to Lucy? Why would you sell out a girl who wanted to just stay hidden?" I watched his face for a moment, he seemed to struggle with answering me, and I began to wonder if he had Dissociative Identity Disorder as well. "Why should I care about a damn girl that I only knew for a few weeks? It wasn't like she gave me money, or fed me, or anything. Lucy is a stranger, I don't get how any of you can't see that, she's a spoiled rich girl who ran away from it all when Mommy and Daddy died and left her alone." He snapped, his tone hostile, and I couldn't help but slap him.

"You don't know what she's been through, what she's had to deal with, and she's human just like any of us. Why the _hell_ are you trying to help Zeref start up a drug trafficking route? Why would you condone him wanting to turn kids into sex slaves?" Natsu didn't know about my past but he knew me, maybe him knowing what I went through would make him see? I sat down and he glared harder, Ajeel and Invel were in another room now, to prevent them from hearing us talk, and I knew Erik was listening in. "Zeref said he'd help find Igneel if I helped him." Igneel was Natsu's father by adoption, he'd just vanished one day and left the boy alone, and I knew that he missed him dearly. "Natsu...I'm one of the few survivors from the Balam Sex Ring." His eyes widened, his jaw falling open, and I kept going. "I was kidnapped from my home town before I can remember, I just remember being beaten often, I was raised in that ring with all those kids. Men would make us work as slaves, get them food and drinks, and we were frequently raped; I had friends who were sold to other cities, their chests cut open so the men could hide bags of drugs inside of them...it is not something anyone should have to go through." He was studying me now, I knew, but I let him see the raw hurt and pain.

"Y-you?" He asked, his eyes going soft, and I nodded. "Yes, Natsu, me. I know I don't act like it but I had to go through a lot of therapy." He was still silent and when I looked up at him I could see an expression on his face I hadn't seen before, it was a mixture of sadness and pain. "Erza...I didn't...I don't..." He was confused, it was easy to see, and I let out a soft sigh. "What if he's the reason Igneel left?" The pink haired boy's gaze snapped up to my face, his expression sharp, and the normally confident person began to shatter. "Why? Why would Dad leave because of him?" I shrugged. "I'm not sure, Natsu, but you cannot trust that Zeref will reunite you two. How would he know where Igneel is? How would he know where to look that you haven't already?" I watched his face, watched his body language, and stood up. "You know that you're our friend, Natsu, and that we'd help too. You know Lucy will forgive you if you stop now and _help_ us." I knew she would, Lucy was kind and loving, the blond had even said she wanted to get to know everyone better and that she wouldn't hold anyone's past against them. I heard the door shut with a click just as Natsu let out a sob, the sound turned off and Erik was turned away to give the boy some privacy.

"Overload is with Levy, Mard, Mira, and Mard's employees. They brought Dimaria in, another one of Zeref's generals, she was after Levy. Gajeel asked to have someone take Levy back to her place so he can pick her up." I nodded and followed him out to the main room, Levy waving, and I blinked as Mard waved a hand. "Kyouka and Seilah will accompany you, the more in the group the better at the moment, please be safe." He was truly worried, it was refreshing to know that for all the bad that was surfacing that there was some good involved, and I noticed the harsh expression on Erik's face as he and Laxus stormed down the hall toward the office. "What…?" Levy shook her head. "I don't know." If there was something they were hiding from us I'd kill them myself. "Macbeth and Sawyer are on their way to get me, I'm going to stay here and chat with Elfman for a bit." Sorano piped up as Mard looked at her. "I'm taking Mirajane to the hospital, we're going to make sure Chelia is alright." The lawyer explained as the group began to split up, Jackal following after Mard and Mira while Sorano sat with Elfman. I led Levy and the two female guards outside.

"Everything is going to be okay...right Erza?" Levy asked softly, her voice worried, and I glanced at her and nodded. "We'll make it work, Levy, I promise." The girl nodded, her expression soft, and Kyouka let out a small hum. "Mard has informants in Alvarez still, Torafuzer and Tempester are currently working undercover in what we think is Zeref's ring, Jackal was just called back since he'd been getting higher in the ranks there. We can't have him be too recognizable." The woman explained gently, her royal blue eyes shifting to look around, and Seilah offered a silent nod of agreement. The group of us four girls made it to Levy's apartment and quickly packed up a decent bit of her clothes and anything else she'd need, she'd already sent a text to Gajeel and knew he'd be here soon, and when they heard the roar of an engine they knew that the pierced cop had pulled up since only he drove the car that sounded like a damn dragon coming down the street.

Levy slid into the passenger seat, kissing her boyfriend, and we waved as they vanished down the road. "Thank you, for all your help." I looked at Kyouka and Seilah, both of which nodded, and I knew that tonight I'd tell Jellal what was going on once I knew Lucy was okay with him knowing the truth. He had been raised in the sex ring, like I had, but upon getting out he'd become a member of the high class through adoption. He had ended up running away from that all, just as Lucy had, and while the three of us walked toward the station again my phone went off. I stared at the screen for a moment and smiled. "Hello Jellal." I greeted softly. _"Erza, don't go hom-"_ The call was disconnected and my face went white. "Erza?" Kyouka asked warily as I redialed the number. _"Erza Scarlet, how wonderful to hear from you after all this time. It's just...dandy."_ The man's voice was deep, gentle, but I knew who it was. "Wally? What's going on?" I asked carefully, he'd been one of the other kids who had survived the hell we'd known. _"Just getting some revenge, not all of us got the luxury suite after that hell, Jellal certainly didn't come help us when he got that amazing life."_ It was hard to hear that from him of all people, he'd been Jellal's best friend after all, and I felt anger crawl through my veins.

"Wally-" The call disconnected, leaving nothing, and Kyouka looked at me. "We'll go find him with you." I offered them a look of thanks and sent a message to Laxus before the two girls followed me away from the station.

* * *

 **Sorry for the two perspectives only but I wanted to focus on how other people are getting affected now that the truth is out. Plus Natsu isn't necessarily bad, maybe, he just wants his papa back.**


	11. Ghost Love Score

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **GHOST LOVE SCORE**

* * *

 _Macbeth's POV_

I was glaring daggers at the group of people, I'd been watching a movie with Meredy when they broke in and knocked us out, now we were tied up in some basement with a trigger happy asshole watching old 50's movies. Jellal was tied to a chair, their original target apparently, and he'd been punched pretty hard after the call to Erza. "Macbeth, I'm so sorry." Meredy whispered and I shook my head. "Don't apologize, Meredy, you're not the one at fault here." I reminded her, glaring at the bastard with the gun, and the weirdo girl who loved cats too damn much grinned. "That's right, nya, it's all Jellal's fault." I shook my head. "Wrong. It's yours, all of you, you're unable to move past the suffering you've done so you're projecting the blame to someone else in order to cope." I'd been through enough therapy sessions, I'd been where they were, and I was not going back. I had allowed the doctors to help me so I could move on, I'd ignored the suffering of my family so I would be okay...not my best move but I could be strong for them now.

"Shut up." The tallest, and honestly most frightening, member of the group grabbed Jellal by the hair and pulled his head up. "Erza's on her way here, you know, she's a police officer and she can trace the call. We're going to have to move." The girl hopped down and headed toward the outside stairs, to where the car was parked, only to get hit hard as the door opened on her face. She tumbled down the stairs, out cold, as Sawyer came in the room with his gun raised. "D-damn!" The trigger happy bastard, Wally, took aim. "Everyone freeze!" Simon commanded, now that cat-girl was out cold and Sawyer had found us. "I've already called the cops, already told them details about your car and your tags, and Erza has a whole squad on their way here now. If you give up you can avoid massive amounts of jail time. Let us help you." Sawyer pleaded, his hold on the gun secure, and I realized in that moment what he'd done; Sawyer hated guns, he'd painted his airsoft to look like a real gun. Meredy was shaking, afraid, and the main doorway opened to reveal Ultear with a gun of her own.

"You're surrounded." The woman explained as sirens echoed outside, Wally aimed his gun at Jellal and Sawyer shot, the hard pellet hit Wally right in the hand and made him drop his gun. Sawyer was in motion, tackling Wally to prevent him from getting to his weapon, and Ultear kicked Simon clean in the face. "Ultear..." Meredy whispered, having confessed that the older female couldn't stand fighting in any shape, and Gray untied the binds on our wrists. "Mac!" Sorano came flying down the stairs, her arms wrapping around me, and I could hear the police officers entering the room. "Sora..." I held onto her, needing her arms around me, and she sobbed against me; in times like these I was reminded that my sister only seemed cold and that she really did care so much that she had gotten hurt because of it. "D-damn! We're not messing up here!" Wally shoved Sawyer, grabbing his gun, and Sora's arms vanished before I heard a scream and a shot. Sorano had protected Jellal, her torso was bleeding as she hit the ground, and I fell to my knees. "S-sora..." I couldn't manage words. "Sorano!" Gray's voice echoed in the small room as he cradled her body, the officers helping him get her into the ambulance they'd brought for emergencies, and someone helped me stand up.

"Come on, Macbeth, we're going with Sora." Sawyer and I ran for the ambulance, sliding into the vehicle before it peeled off, and I stared at the EMT who was helping staunch the bleeding and keep Sora breathing. "S-she's going to be...okay right?" Sawyer's voice was broken, shattered, and the woman looked up at us. "If they're quick about getting her to the hospital she'll be fine." That was a relief, really, and I stared down at her limp form. "Sora..." The woman had once again thrown herself out there, saving Gray's brother, and I met gazes with my brother. We _had_ to be strong.

* * *

 _Gray's POV_

I was following after Erza slowly, staring at my hands where Sorano's blood had stained my skin, and I glared at Wally as he sat screaming in the police cruiser. Erza was going to be driving that car, despite her past, and she was _pissed_ at the group of four. We'd discovered accomplice number four when he fell out of the closet, evidently he'd planned to bail and they'd knocked him out and stashed him, and now there was worry that these guys might be involved with the Alvarez scheme. "Gray?" I looked up at Ultear and Meredy, Jellal was currently holding Erza tightly as she sobbed against him; it was strange, Erza had always been such a hard ass, something had happened that I was missing that was changing everything. "Come on." Ultear shook my shoulder and I nodded, following her as we headed toward the station since Meredy had to give her statement, and Erza offered us a thankful look as we led Jellal to the car.

"I feel like I've missed something." Ultear cast a glance in the rear view mirror, Meredy played with the hem of her shirt, and Jellal looked out of the passenger side window. "We've all missed something." My older brother was perceptive as all hell but there was something that was bothering him, something he had to have figured out, and if it wasn't his business to spread then he wouldn't. "It's insane how all of this is cropping up now." Meredy whispered gently, nervous, and Ultear let out a loud sigh. "Drop it." Her tone was a warning, a signal for them to back off, and we all did so. In the silence I contemplated reasons _why_ Sorano would do that, why she would jump in front of Jellal and take a bullet for him, and the idea that she was infatuated with him really stung. I couldn't deny my attraction to the pale haired beauty, she was gorgeous and confident, and when I looked at her or talked to her it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

If she liked _Jellal_ then it would kill me, and him really, I wouldn't be able to stand watching him break her heart when he confessed of his engagement to Erza. Sorano really was something special and I was near desperate for her approval, I'd caught her watch a few of my shows and then flee, it was obvious something was holding her back but I would not give up until she told me to back off. I couldn't give up...not without trying for a chance.

* * *

 _Sting's POV_

The house was quiet but comfortable, Lucy had allowed me to curl up with her for a nap and Wendy was on the other side of the blond. I curled closer to her, trying not to cry, finding out about Natsu's plans for me had hurt. Badly. I'd trusted him, he was my _brother_ and had basically raised me! This whole time he wanted to use me as a drug trafficker? "Sting?" My eyes lifted to Lucy's face, her expression was so damn kind that I wanted to just cry, while Lucy wasn't exactly a stranger she was offering me a place and happiness. Rogue was sitting nearby, reading a book, and I simply hummed. "Thanks, Lucy." I whispered, trying not to be loud, and the blond woman blinked before smiling and running her fingers through my hair. It was obvious that something that bothering her, what it was I didn't know, but she seemed to be fairly worried. I wouldn't let her suffer though, if I could help I would, and we all looked up as Gajeel and Levy walked into the room.

"Hey, what are we doing for dinner?" Levy asked gently, earning a grin, and Lucy waved her hand. "Erik said he'll pick up something and give it to whoever goes to pick up my stuff from the station." Gajeel nodded, not wanting the girls to leave for the night, and we all decided that we would do a movie night tonight once we had our belongings. "Hey Lucy?" She looked at me, as we sat up, and I smiled as best as I could manage. "You're pretty awesome." Her answering smile was kind. "Thanks Sting." As we headed for the kitchen I let myself get lost in thought, I wouldn't let anything like this break me, I'd be strong for Wendy and Lucy...and then when the danger was gone I could take the time to let the emotions hit.

* * *

 _Zeref's POV_

My eyes scanned the papers, the images, and I couldn't help but grin. Everything was going according to plan, it was falling into place so perfectly that I was glad to be alone, my smile couldn't be contained. "Ya know it's not going to be easy now that the King'll be aware of everything. Especially since Ajeel, Invel, and Dimaria got their stupid asses captured." My eyes shifted to the tanned man covered in bright blue tattoos, his dark hair falling loose and wild. "We've still got our secret weapon, Acnologia, so stop getting all uppity. Natsu wasn't worth my time anyway, he had to be broken from our ranks and this is the easiest way, he didn't have what it takes to do what I wanted of him anyway." The man who I called my general nodded, sitting on the box behind him, and I glanced at the picture. "You know what i get out of this, right?" I cast a look at him. "How could I forget? You were her betrothed, she was meant to be yours, I'll make it happen." Acnologia took the picture of Lucy Heartfilia from my wall and pocketed it. "Good." As he left I smirked, the easiest pawn to control was the one who had the most ties to the key piece, once the damned mind reader was out of the way Acnologia planned to swoop in and play hero...but he was messing with my own goals. Lucy was the key to Mavis, after all, and if I needed the girl then I got her first.

"Poor little Heartfilia. A golden key being fought over by so many."


	12. My Walden

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **MY WALDEN**

* * *

 _Acnologia's POV_

Zeref was up to something, he had to be, for him to offer Lucy to me so willingly without argument...there was something he was planning. I scowled as I headed home, ignoring the looks I was getting, people were terrified of me and it made me happy to know I wouldn't be bothered. As I stepped into the building I called home I scanned the photographs along the dresser, all of them of Lucy and I when we were kids. Acnologia was the code name I'd chosen when Jude had betrayed me, when he'd called off the betrothal, when I'd left Fiore to make it big. My plan had been to come back and sweep Lucy off her feet, offer her the world and more, only to find out that Jude had killed himself and she'd given up everything and vanished. Tracking her down became my main priority, even if it meant teaming up with Zeref, and now that I'd found her again I was not letting her leave me again.

Mard, Lucy, and I had been best friends; the three amigos, we'd been closer than everyone, almost all of our time was spent together. Then Jude had turned around, when Layla died, and canceled everything; I'd been happily courting Lucy since she was going to be mine and then it was gone, ripped away, and he stopped me from seeing her. So I'd left, determined to get famous and powerful on my own name so Lucy would choose me, and now I had to sweep in and do what Mard had done. He'd been working for Zeref too, for a while, but that was until he found out Zeref had plans to use Lucy; he had gone to her first, to get her away from that psychic bastard for me, and I was going to help cover his ass on this while he kept me out of jail. I stared at the picture of Lucy kissing my cheek, it had been my tenth birthday, and I looked out the window across the city I called home.

This wasn't going to be my home forever, no, once I had Lucy we were going to be living in Fiore in the family home I'd abandoned. But first I had to get rid of Zeref and then Lucy and I could be happy.

* * *

 _Laxus' POV_

The sheer increase in trouble, all centered around Lucy, was slowly beginning to drive me nuts; Ajeel, Invel, and Dimaria were in the high risk wing of the prison as I waited for an answer from King Toma Fiore on what to do with them. There hadn't been any executions in years, since the Balam Ring had been shut down, and it was a gruesome thing to think of but these three people wished to blackmail an innocent for her money so they could enslave and rape children. I ran my hands through my hair, annoyed, and looked up at the soft tap on the glass. Flare Corona, the girl who did my hair, waved at me as she entered the office. "I brought lunch, Laxus." She and I had been friends after I saved her from my asshole father, she was one of those people who had been raised in a remote place and didn't know much about big cities, a farm girl that he'd taken advantage of. "Thanks, Flare." The redhead smiled and handed me a huge plate of take-out, the pair of us digging in, and I studied her. The redhead could easily listen in on any conversation like Mira or the girls at Fairy Tail could.

"Hey, about what I asked..." Flare grinned. "I don't mind keeping an open ear. Hey, by the way, I've got two tickets to see Nightwish, want to go with me?" I blinked and nodded. "Yea, sure, when?" Her face brightened. "Friday, at six." I nodded and poked her cheek. "I'll pick ya' up and drive." She nodded and the pair of us went back to eating, Flare was one of those girls I was more comfortable around, and I couldn't help but look at her again; she was really very pretty, someone I didn't have a bad past with...and I couldn't fool myself and say I wasn't at least attracted to her physically. But I'd been so damned hung up on Mira...it would be hard to move on but I wasn't going to ruin her chance at happiness. But I was going to find mine.

* * *

 _Lucy's POV_

Gajeel and Levy were adorable, the pair of them constantly exchanging quips or comments at the dinner table, and I couldn't help but glance at Raios as the boy shook his head; Gajeel's little brother was pretty funny, very calm, and I could tell just why Wendy had a crush on him. He was like a sophisticated version of his brother, with far less piercings, and I noticed the way he would glance at Wendy too. It was cute. "Tomorrow we'll go see Chelia." I had seen my sister playing with her cell and she nodded, I had work first but I owed the girl a lot, Wendy's friend had saved her life. "So what are we going to do?" Levy asked, making me look up at her, and I could tell what she meant. "We're going to keep going, if this Zeref guy is after me I don't give two damns, I'm not running away or hiding. I can fight, I've got my license to carry a concealed weapon, and I won't let everyone put their asses on the line to save me." It was just how I was, I would stand firm, and Levy smiled softly.

"I know, Lucy, but...if you went public about your whereabouts it would be easier to keep you safe. People would be looking for you, looking at you, and so it'd be harder to kidnap you or any of us since we know you." I could see the logic in her idea, I knew why she suggest doing it, but I'd managed to escape the public eye for so long that I really didn't want to go back to having paparazzi chasing me down day in and day out. "Nah, we don't need to do that, we just need to tell people we can trust not to reveal her secret and have them help keep an eye out. Mira's gonna have the girls at Fairy Tail keep an ear out, Mard has his staff on patrol, and Laxus already talked to Flare about listening in for rumors about Alvarez." Gajeel explained as he took a bite of the Thai food Erik had brought, the damned psychic had evidently figured out it was my favorite so he'd chosen that over Chinese or hoagies, and I nodded before blinking. "Flare? You mean Flare Corona?" The image of the little redhead appeared in my mind and Gajeel nodded. "Yea, she has a hair salon that Laxus goes to, most of us have her do our hair." I hummed, glad that my friend had gotten her wish, and Wendy suddenly jumped up. "I totally forgot! Wait there!" I watched her run into her room, reaching through her bags, and she came back with a framed certificate.

"I got this for you, since you've been so sad, I wanted to cheer you up." I took the gift and looked at it, eyes scanning the ornate print, and tears gathered before I could stop myself. There was a picture of a star, it's location in the sky, and it was named after Mama. "Oh Wendy." I couldn't stop the sob that left me, I couldn't stop the tears, and she hugged me tightly as I returned that hold. "Thank you, Wendy, this is the best gift ever." I confessed, it really was, and I missed the grateful look she shot to Raios since I was crying. "What is it?" Levy asked gently. "I named a star after her mama." Both Levy and Gajeel stared at the girl, admitting that it was a brilliant idea, and I ruffled her hair before letting her go so I could show Levy and Gajeel the plaque. Things had been hell today, really, but at least it was quieting down now and hopefully tomorrow would be better.

* * *

 _Seilah's POV_

His dark eyes traced the papers before him, images and words on a page, and Mard Geer let out a loud yawn, it made me do a double take. The boss never showed his exhaustion, even when he was ready to fall over, and I couldn't help but realize just how human he'd become in reconnecting with his friend. "Seilah." I responded by standing up, ready to answer to his command, and his eyes swept my form before he stretched almost lazily. "I've got a date with Mirajane tomorrow, we were interrupted yesterday, please check on Chelia's condition." I nodded, knowing he owed a lot to the girl who had taken a bullet for her friend, and Mard stood up. "I've also got a request, Mirajane's little sister Lisanna wishes to learn how to fight, I want you and Kyouka to work with her." I nodded, knowing it was for her protection, and glanced at him as I followed him out of his study.

"Sir…if I may ask something?" He looked at me and nodded, his kindness was both surprising and quite a nice change, I was used to his hard mask and now that he was allowing us to see his real self it was allowing me to relax. Mard had saved my life, given me a goal and a drive, and I would follow him to hell; now he'd found a way out of hell and a way for us to finally have peace, no more watching over our shoulders or hiding our identities. "Of course, Seilah, what's wrong?" I smiled fondly, allowing him to see my true self, and he looked as alarmed as I'd felt. It was like we were all learning each other over again, so used to our masks and disguises that we'd forgotten what it was to be happy, and I was glad we had this chance. "Do you love Miss Mirajane?" He blinked and lowered his gaze. "I don't even know what love is, Seilah, you know that, but I think what I have for her could be love. Mira is…she's like me, Seilah, she's different and nobody can see it because she's so good at hiding it." I knew what he meant, I was familiar with DID and for me the signs were fairly obvious, I'd noticed it in Lucy too.

I decided to be completely honest and speak my mind, something I rarely did since I was so used to hiding. "I think you're good for each other…and I'm glad you're friends with Lucy again. But you know that if you keep going with the plan she may hate you." He stiffened, knowing I spoke the truth, and I could see the panic in his eyes. "What do I do, Seilah? If they find out I was working with him…" I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, he had to come clean now, I was going to give him the best advice I could. "Tell her the entire truth, before she starts to trust you fully and feels betrayed again, just tell her every little detail. I think if you're honest with her now it will go a long way in the future and then when the events come to a close she'll be more likely to stand by your side." It wasn't what he wanted to hear but it was what he needed to hear, I wouldn't allow him to get hurt even if I had to tell Lucy myself, and Kyouka was the same way. "Thank you, Seilah." He whispered, entering his room, and I nodded as he shut the door and continued down the hall to my own room. "Do you think he's going to tell her?" I looked at my blue eyed lover and smiled. "I think so." Kyouka opened her arms and I slid into her embrace, her warmth was comforting, and she pulled me down onto the bed with a sly smile that I soon mirrored.

* * *

 _Erik's POV_

I was walking home, distracted due to the fact that Macbeth had gotten kidnapped because of this Balam bullshit, and I honestly wished the king would just let us go on a manhunt and take Zeref out. Mard had promised he still had guys over in Alvarez but I couldn't help but feel bothered, how had he known and why was this all happening after his arrival? Obviously Natsu had blabbed to his brother that he had a potential pay day, there was no other explanation than that, but how exactly was it that Mard had so much inside information? The idea of him having a guy on the inside was there but he was _too_ well informed and he never let himself be around me long enough to really pry, I looked around the empty street and kicked a bottle that sat at the curb. "Hello, officer." My eyes snapped up to look at the man who had addressed me, his thoughts flooding my mind, and I knew that I had to get away. He wasn't just a strong fighter but he was someone I hadn't thought I'd see for a very long time. "Klodoa." The native dressed man smirked and his ever faithful companion emerged next from the alleyway. Brain and Klodoa were damn near inseparable, it was usually where one was found the other would be too, and if Brain was out of jail then he was going to try and get the Seis back.

"Hello, Cobra." I couldn't help the urge to go for my gun, they had used and abused me, and the two grinned at me; I took the safety off my gun, ready to fire, and Brain smiled. "We're legally free, Cobra, are you going to risk going to prison because of your fears?" The immediate answer in my mind was yes, they were worth it, but the image of chocolate brown eyes and soft blond hair was enough to make me hesitate. I turned my head, as another person's thoughts became clear, and ducked under the iron pipe before kicking the would-be attacker in the throat. "What are you after?" I demanded, watching the man I'd kicked struggle for air, and Brain smirked at me. The look he'd always given me, the one I'd thought was pride, and it really pissed me off. "We need your influence, Cobra, we need your powers. You can cooperate or the rest of the Seis will never be safe." If he tried to go after them I would kill him myself. "As if, you've got a history and you'll get caught if you try, we're all stronger and smarter than that; remember, Brain, you made us that way." He nodded in assent.

"I did, I taught you not to trust, but with Sorano in the hospital and Macbeth and Sawyer paranoid...have you even seen Richard recently?" The idea that something had happened to the love happy moron made my gut churn. "What does that matter?" Richard had accepted his therapy and his help with open arms, gladly shedding his past, and I wished it had been as easy for me. "Oh just checking." I glared as they took their henchman, Kurohebi was the only name I was getting, and left; I grabbed my cell and dialed the man that had once been among the few I could trust. _"Erik? What's wrong?"_ I smiled, he was always too damn nice, Richard sounded okay. "Has Brain or Klodoa been around you? They got out of jail." I heard the catch in his voice. _"No but I'm in Bosco doing an exhibit at the museum, I'm nowhere near home, I have to comeback because Wally got into some trouble."_ I nodded. "Yea, he tried to hurt Jellal." Richard sighed. _"I know, he's so angry and_ _I've been on a lot of business trips so I haven't been around. I should have made him come with me."_ Richard sounded so damn sad. "Nah, it's not your fault, just try to help us reach him. He shot Sora, trying to kill Jellal, so he will get jail time but...try to help us and we might be able to work with him." It wasn't going to be a small sentence either but Richard seemed happier.

After hanging up the call I looked around, sliding into the alleyway the trio had come from, and took a deep breath before shutting out the portion of my mind that held most of my moral thoughts. If I wanted to find their base I had to think like a criminal and what better way then to go back to that time? The darkness wasn't too bad for me, I'd always had better vision than most people, and I paused at the red light above the door to the a really old looking brick apartment; I leaned against the wall beside the steps and focused, digging deep into my powers and projecting them. I could hear through the brick, through the stone and mortar, and a large number of voices filled my mind; I knew them all, minor criminals, and the last one made me angry. Precht Gaebolg, Chief of Police before even Makarov himself, and he'd been the one to get Brain and Klodoa out of prison as well as Ivan Dreyar. Anger flooded me and I knew that things were beginning to get out of hand, somehow we had to stop them all at once, and it disgusted me to know that everything centered around Lucy.

"I won't let her get hurt." I decided in that moment that I was done hiding, done pretending and pushing her away; the blond woman wasn't perfect, she had her own problems and hard past, and yet something about her drew me in. I made my way out of the alleyway and headed for home, I'd talk to Gajeel in the morning, but first thing first meant that I had to figure out how to tell Laxus that his father was free. Not only would he be unhappy but he'd be chomping at the bit to hunt him down. It was going to be risky, and illegal as all hell, but it appeared that most of us misfit cops were going to have to resort to the worst to protect Magnolia and Fiore.

* * *

 **Alright, so I'll admit the last chapter had a LOT of action, so I decided to slow this one down a little bit. They're human, they need their happiness too, and before anyone asks it is true most of the titles are song names. Nightwish is actually one of my favorite bands, if you haven't heard of them it's almost like opera and rock merged together. They're really good and the song title for this chapter is one of their songs. Thank you for following along with the story, joining me on this crazy ride, and next week's chapter is going to be...heart wrenching. So I'm warning ya'll that next week I'm takin' ya on a big ol feel trip.**


	13. I Will Remember You

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **I WILL REMEMBER YOU**

* * *

 _Lucy's POV_

This couldn't be happening, I really didn't want to believe it, but as I stared at Mard I could tell by his expression that he was being completely honest; the room was filled with nearly everyone I'd come to cherish and care for in the past few months. Laxus shifted uncomfortably beside Gajeel, Erik was still nowhere to be found after calling Gajeel and telling him to pass the message that he'd be gone for a few days, and the number of people I'd trusted with my identity were all here. "So you're telling me that Acnologia…Zeref's second hand…is Tobias?" Mard nodded and I felt my chest tighten. "Tobias is…another childhood friend?" Levy asked softly, trying to keep up with the new revelation Mard had so graciously dropped. "Mard, Tobias, and I were like the three musketeers; usually we were always found together. In fact, Tobias came from such a prominent family that he and I were betrothed up until Mama died, my Papa decided to end the agreement and Tobias…he just vanished." I admitted as I looked down at my hands, Wendy and Sting were sitting on either side of me and both of them were holding one of my hands. "So you started tailing Lucy because Tobias promised to cover your ass when everything was said and done as long as you did the same for him?" Laxus asked as he regarded the lawyer, the bodyguards under Mard's orders all shifted slightly.

"Indeed. Lucy, Tobias, and I were very close until her mother passed away and her father shut the world out. Rather…he forbade her from having contact with the world." It was hard not to remember just how painful it had been at that time, between Zoldeo's assault being discovered and my mother's death I had been in a fragile state just like my father had; a part of me understood, now, why he'd done what he had since it was his only means of knowing I was safe. "So Tobias is going to try and come back into Lucy's life, play hero to sweep her off her feet, while he helps Zeref bring a fucking crime empire into Fiore?" Gajeel asked to clarify and Mard nodded, studying my face, and I knew why he was mostly worried about me; Mard hadn't been a sociable person, I had enough outgoing cheer to cover for what he didn't have, I was one of his only friends when we growing up and Mard had always been particularly overprotective of me for that reason. Mard wanted me to still accept him, even if it meant revealing the complete truth, and I felt my body begin to tremble before I closed my eyes to stop the tears that wanted to flow. Everything was going all wrong, things had gotten so twisted, and strong arms wrapped around my shoulders; in that instant panic flooded me as I slammed my head back into a muscled chest while Wendy and Sting were forced to release my hands in their surprise.

 _Erik's POV_

It wasn't the smartest thing, to just wrap my arms around her shoulders, but Lucy was suffering and I wanted to fix it. But the moment my arms were secure around her I heard the sudden rush of panic before the heard pressure as she slammed the back of her head into my chest. I'd heard everything, Mard's confession had been on their minds, and now Lucy was reacting. Sting and Wendy had jumped up from their chairs, Lucy had damn near thrown them in her haste to fight back. "Lucy! It's me!" I had let her go, watching her as she turned to face me, but it wasn't Lucy I was looking at. Artemis cocked an eyebrow at me, her lips quirking into a cruel smirk as she shifted so her hip was out. "Well that was stupid." She commented, the pitch of her voice gaining a husky quality to it, and I the rest of the room seemed to grow confused. "Lucy has DID, just like Mira, this is Artemis." I explained before watching the blond nod. "Yep, he's right, and you're a fucking moron for scaring her like that." I rolled my eyes. "Yea, got that one." My snarky answer earned a bark of laughter from her and Mard was studying her. "When did Lucy develop DID?" He really didn't know and Artemis seemed to regard him a moment. "We were sexually assaulted, Lucy in particular was traumatized, and therefore I began protecting her. Whenever she is terrified I make sure to stop her from being harmed." It was a simplified explanation, really, and it was then I noticed that I could hear her thoughts; it made me realize that she could block me out. Did that mean Mira could block me out too?

"Wait, hold up, we need to backtrack. Who the hell did that to her?" That from Gajeel, his concern for Lucy's wellbeing was both obnoxious and appreciated, but Artemis shook her head. "It's not my place to tell you, Erik and Erza know because they were in therapy with her." I nodded as Laxus looked at me and the room collectively sighed. "Right. So Lucy has DID just like Mira because of sexual trauma, has a whole crime lord organization after her for the last of her money, and will freak the fuck out if she isn't forewarned over who touches her?" Jackal asked as he looked between the others, earning a nod from Artemis, and the man nodded. "Glad to be caught up, problem is though I just got reports from Torafuzar and Tempesta before Mard called us here for a meeting." Here being the basement of Fairy Tail, which served as a meeting place for most of the officers when trouble arose and they didn't want to be near the station, and Mard looked at Jackal with an expression while he urged the man to continue with just a thought. "Zeref has gotten a connection into Fiore. The man's name is Crawford Seam." I stared at Laxus, Crawford had been one of the King's primary advisors and the Chairman of an elite group of intelligence agents in charge of each branch of the military in Fiore, to know that he was working for Zeref was a terrifying prospect. Accusing him of it would be near impossible too considering that the evidence would have to be the most irrefutable ever found.

"Torafuzar has photographs, camera feed, and recorded calls between Zeref and Crawford; Tempesta has copies of every original and altered customs documents, flash drives and disks of all information that has been exchanged between the pair. Essentially we have the proof but to expose it means we would have to have diplomatic immunity so we don't end up in jail ourselves." Jackal finished and Laxus' jaw tensed, he and I shared the same thoughts that we wouldn't trust 'em as far as we could throw 'em, but they were our best bet to exposing Zeref and stopping this shit once and for all. "I can get you diplomatic immunity." Artemis suddenly spoke up, her eyes twinkling, and she glanced at Mirajane. "Let me take off a few days to go to Crocus and speak with Hisui." The fact that she had pull with the _Princess_ was astonishing and a little frightening. "Sure, do what you need to." Mira replied with her cheery smile, though she was arguing with herself (literally) about Lucy's safety, and I knew that Laxus wouldn't let her go alone. "Mard, Jackal, and Laxus will come with me. That way we can see Toma and inform him about Crawford." Erza nodded and I locked gazes with the blond man.

 _Laxus' POV_

I cleared my throat and nodded to Erik, who also looked tense, and studied all of the officers here. Gajeel, Erik, myself, Erza, Mest, and Elfman were all looking at one another. "We've come to a crossroads, where Lucy's safety and the future of many kids lay in our hands. Precht Gaebolg is allowing criminals to run rampant and Mard we're going to need all the help you can give us. Brain and Klodoa are out of jail, Everlue was just incarcerated once more for his plan to help bring back the Balam Ring, and if we want to protect them…" I saw their faces tense up, they knew exactly what I was implying, and it was Mest who spoke up. "If the King doesn't agree to an execution of Zeref's generals…" I nodded and Erza's eyes darkened. "Understood." Gajeel nodded and Erik also nodded, these officers here were the ones who would only take lives if necessary and who knew how to eliminate evidence, all of them had hard pasts and understood balance. "Yea, we can handle that." I watched as Lucy, or Artemis really, gave a grave nod as she placed a hand on the side of her hip; it made sense that she had a permit to carry, really, but I hadn't thought about her ever having a loaded weapon. "I'll handle protecting Wendy and Sting while yer gone." Gajeel commented, earning a nod from Lucy, and Erza met my gaze. "I'll make sure the station is protected so nobody breaks them out." It was astonishing just how fucking amazing of a group of officers I had, really, and I hoped Gramps wouldn't be turning in his grave over the choice I was going to make.

My father was out there, among the criminals, and he being free put a lot of people in Magnolia at risk; Ivan Dreyar was _known_ for his rebellion and jump into the crime circle. Most people claimed it being psychological due to the fact that his father was a hailed hero, which it very well could be, but for Laxus…Ivan was a bastard who needed to be either jailed or eliminated. "I'll handle Ivan." My gaze locked with Erik, or Cobra as he was known to the world of the crime scene, and I knew that he _would_ handle him; Artemis regarded the man before her gaze seemed to soften and her stance relaxed. "Erik…" It had to be Lucy, her tone was soft and sweet again, and the man I called one of my best friends studied her face and snatched her close before kissing her. I chuckled as Mirajane let out a loud squeal, Mard scowled, and Gajeel rolled his eyes. "You better stay fuckin' safe, ya hear me?" Erik demanded, earning a nod, and I glanced at the occupants of the basement. "Fairy Tail used to be where Jiji set up base, he hated the police station, and I never did that because I didn't want to chance something happening to this place. It was more than a bar, or a place where a bunch of drunks would talk, for most of us it was a place we called our own. I want to call the people here, in this room, members of Fairy Tail. A trusted core group of people that will protect this town, protect our country, and protect our loved ones." Mirajane smiled fondly and pointed to a photograph that sat on the wall of my Jiji and a team of officers.

"Your grandfather had done the same thing, when I took over the bar I looked into most of the old papers and documents left behind, and I approve. I'd like to include my staff, my siblings, but I think that it should be Lucy's choice of who gets included since all members would have to learn her secret. So we should have Fairy Tail Master Lucy Heartfilia." The blond turned crimson as all eyes turned to her and she regarded them all. "I'm okay with telling Elfman, Lisanna, Cana, Laki, and the others. I know that it would be smarter to go public, so then it'd be harder to get to me, but I'll hold off just a little bit longer." I nodded at her and we all toasted to the new team we'd made.

 _Mystery POV_

I was trapped, there was no escape, the darkness had engulfed me and I couldn't find any light; something warm and wet dripped onto my body, onto my skin, and I couldn't help but to scream. "Found you." A cold voice whispered in my air as a tight grip wrapped around my wrist, I tried to fight but he was too strong. "Don't worry, Kinana, we'll take good care of you." He whispered before I blacked out.

* * *

 **Okay so I had a chapter written out, which will be a much later chapter, because after reading the planned chapter for this there were too many gaps and no real bridge between My Walden to what was supposed to be posted. So I decided to type up a few bridge chapters before I post the chapter that made me cry after I re-read it.**


	14. Lose Yourself

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **LOSE YOURSELF**

* * *

 _Gray's POV_

I was sitting by her bed, just like I had been for the past day and a half, when Mirajane called; my boss, and the woman I saw as an older sister really, seemed upset and said that there was something important that I needed to know. Evidently it was big since I heard lots of voices in the background, Laxus and Gajeel among the most prominent so Mira had to be standing near them, but there was a soft sound of Lucy's voice too. My eyes skated over pale skin, made that much more so due to the heavy bandages and blood loss, but Sorano was alive and she would be okay. The bullet hadn't hit anywhere fatal, in fact she'd woken up a few hours after the bullet was removed, and she and I had a very long talk. I had told her everything about my past, laid myself bare for her to see into me, and then she'd told me her story.

Tragic couldn't begin to cover it, it was something that made her so strong for surviving, and I would never forget the way she cried on me as I told her I'd accept her no matter what her past; even if we only stayed friends there was something starting between us and I felt a bit happier than I had in a long time. Erza had told me about Natsu, seeing as I was an undercover officer and his rival/best friend, and it was hard pretending not to have any knowledge of what was going on when I really knew most of it. I looked up as the doctor, a kind man with tawny hair and golden hazel eyes, entered the room with the nurse in tow. The pair were a spectacle to behold, the pink haired nurse was pretty in an innocent sort of way while everything about the doctor just screamed for attention, both were good looking to the point it was almost disgusting.

"When she awakens please tell Miss Agria that she is cleared to be released as long as strenuous activity stays to a minimum, I'll leave these here." The Doctor explained, making me smile, and I felt a small ache of pain in my chest. "How is Chelia?" That earned a sad sigh. "That's…she's still in critical. By saving Wendy she took a bullet to the lung, we managed to get the bullet and shrapnel out but she barely made it." I nodded, I knew the damage an officer's gun could cause, and as I glanced down at Sorano I smiled again as she began waking up. "Hey sleepy, Doc says you're good to go." Her eyes softened and she nodded. "Okay." Her whisper was soft, cute really, and I watched her fill out her discharge papers before helping her out of the hospital and toward Fairy Tail. Erik had asked that she come if she could.

 _Lucy's POV_

The room wasn't really full but there were a number of people here, some who knew and others still in the dark. The officers were all sitting back against the wall, Erik was holding my hand tightly as we sat near the head of the room, and his thumb rubbed gentle strokes against my hand. He was warm, comfortable, and I leaned my head on his shoulder. Mard, Jackal, Kyouka, Seilah, Lisanna, and Mirajane sat off to the left of the room huddled over some papers and the computer; no doubt collecting the evidence I was to present to Hisui and Toma, while more people entered the basement. Cana, Laki, Bisca, Alzack, Elfman, Freed, Bickslow and many others steadily appeared. A part of me wanted to run and hide but I could hear Artemis reminding me that I had to do this, I had to fight back or I'd never be free, and when the room filled up and Mirajane nodded at me I knew that everyone who was going to be here was present. "Everyone…the reason you're all here today is because we're going to begin fighting back against Zeref and his attempt at bringing a drug and sex traffic ring into Fiore. Unfortunately, he has some pretty high string, Crawford Seam is in his back pocket, so Laxus and I are traveling to Crocus to speak with King Toma and Princess Hisui. In the meantime, we need you all to help us."

I took a breath, watching the people before me, and my eyes settled on Sorano as she watched from beside Gray; Sorano had gotten hurt, Chelia had gotten hurt, Wendy had been targeted. I was done running. "We've got crooked ex cops, crime lords who got broken out of jail, and a war potentially starting between officers and criminals. The worst part is that I'm the target, because they want the last of my money, all of this started with Lucy Heartfilia…me. After my father killed himself I fled the manor and estate after giving most of it up, keeping a small portion to use as emergency money, and I legally changed my name to Lucille Ashley before hiding from any paparazzi and press. Since you're all involved in this because of me it's only fair you know and I'm going to do as much as I can to make Toma and Hisui see that they need to help us stop this. Laxus has resurrected Fairy Tail, the vigilantes of Magnolia, and I'm it's master. Fairy Tail's goal will be taking out criminals, eliminating them so they never return, while staying underground. You're not obligated to join but I offer all of you the choice." During my speech several expressions changed, morphing into various expressions, and several people looked at Laxus before looking back to me.

"Lucy you are our friend, someone we've become very close to, we're gonna help you; in fact, I'm surprised this wasn't done sooner, most of us are trained combat specialists. Taking lives isn't the first step to take, usually, but there are criminals out there that do deserve the ultimate sentence and we can't make that choice legally. I won't lie and say that I'll enjoy taking the life of another but I will say that I like the idea of finally making Fiore safe again." Bisca spoke as she stood up, her eyes hard, and Alzack nodded beside her before more people began standing up and agreeing. "Lucy we have to catch the train." Mard looked at his watch, Jackal beside him, and I nodded before looking at Laxus. "Erza is going to be in command until I return, stay safe and protect each other, do not travel alone or in small groups for now." The room nodded at his command and I turned to Erik before capturing his lips in a kiss before he could stop me; his skin was warm, surprisingly soft, and his hands wound into my hair as I opened my mouth for him. The way his tongue brushed against mine, the way he kissed me, it was like he wanted to devour me whole and damn if I didn't wish I could stay.

"Lucy." I pulled back at Laxus' harsh tone, Erik flipping his boss off, and followed the hulking blond after one last hug; Mard and Mira whispered something to one another, Jackal standing firm at the door, and we headed out the back doorway to get to Crocus.

 _Natsu's POV_

Not only was I freezing ( _seriously, guys, we didn't get any budget cuts_ ) but now I felt worse than ever, knowing Zeref wanted to start something Erza had been a victim of made me sick to my stomach. I'd had a lot of time to think, I'd even apologized to Chelia's crazy cousin when she came to scream at me and I'd let her punch me quite a bit too. I had been stupid, letting my brother tug me along without questioning it, and now I was seeing it. Erza's point was the most valid, how would he have any idea how to find Igneel if I had none? Makarov had pull with some of the highest ranking men in Fiore and none of them were able to find any traces of my father…unless Zeref was to blame for his disappearance then he would have no luck either. "Natsu." My eyes lifted, Gajeel staring at me from the other side of the bars, and I knew he had something to say going by his expression. "Overload, Bunny, the lawyer, and one of his body guards are going to Crocus to talk to the King. When they get back Overload plans to bring Bunny here…you better prepare the best damn apology you can to get out of the sentence that they want to slap you with. It's up to her if you end up locked up for fifteen years, Chelia just barely made it, you dodged a manslaughter charge so far." He was warning me, I had expected as much, and I nodded before watching him walk away.

A strange feeling of pain hit my chest, my eyes burning, and I was nearly crippled by a wave of grief; I wanted to blame Zeref or even Igneel, I'd never had made this choice if he stayed ( _at least I hope I wouldn't have_ ) but I couldn't blame anyone but myself, I had chosen to try and use Lucy and now I would pay for it. I wasn't sure how long I sat there but the sound of keys made me look up before I heard a dull noise, like someone head being slammed into a wall, and I moved back against the wall as someone walked by; it was an older man, not quite ancient but he was sporting some rugged five o'clock shadow and his profile was familiar. I crouched down, moving so he wouldn't see me when he walked past, and as I tried to peer around the edge I saw the limp form of Macao spread across the floor. I watched as several people strode past me, the man was leading Ajeel and his cronies out, and even Everlue; anger flooded me as I recognized his profile, he looked just like Gray, and I knew then that this was the fucker that had abandoned his own son. Silver Fullbuster. As they exited, swiftly, I knew I had to do something but I couldn't call anyone; instead I tossed my head back and let out a scream so loud that it hurt. Ajeel, Dimaria, and Invel could not run free; I had to get out of here and stop my brother and I had one chance.

"Natsu-nii?" Romeo hopefully hadn't been told what was happening, he often came and did any homework here or volunteered for community service in the town center next door, and he snatched the keys Silver had dropped and unlocked the cell door. "I know what you did but I know you're a good person, Natsu-nii, go." I nodded and ran, grabbing my weapon from the armory using Gray's entry code ( _using mine would be a bad idea after all_ ) and I was out the back door. I saw the car shooting away, catching the faint glimpse of blond hair in the back seat, and knew that was their car; my feet couldn't carry me fast enough but I wasn't stealing a cruiser, these guys were after Lucy anyway so they were probably headed to Crocus, I had once shot. "Happy!" The bus driver, who I was good friends with, waved as I hopped on. "I'm on break, Natsu." He commented, almost annoyed. "Police situation, can't use a cruiser, follow that tan Explorer." He blinked and jumped into action, letting out a cry of 'aye sir' before firing the engine up and taking off after them. For several blocks we tailed them, until they stopped at the train station, and I jumped out of the vehicle and bolted inside. "Natsu?" I turned to see Laxus, Lucy, Mard, and Jackal looking at me; they must have just arrived.

"Silver Fullbuster knocked Macao out; he released Dimaria, Ajeel, and Invel. They're here in the train station." I summarized, watching Laxus' jaw tense, and I grabbed Lucy's hands. "I don't have time to express how badly I fucked up and how sorry I am for it, but I'll do my best to protect you. Tell Toma and Hisui that Zeref is in a city called Alvarez in Alakitasia, he runs his business out of the back of a restaurant called Vistarion; it's very well known as a reputable place though." I explained, turning to keep an eye on the crowd, and I caught sight of Ajeel's hair; they were waiting by the trains and panic set in as I saw Silver smirk. At me. They knew I had followed them. "Get-" I pushed Lucy, sending her flying into Jackal, and pain washed through me before everything went dark.

 _Laxus' POV_

Lucy was covered in blood, it had sprayed the moment the bullet pierced Natsu's skin, and her brown eyes flew impossibly wide as the pink haired man dropped; I had no time to react other than to draw my gun and aim, I ignored Lucy screaming Natsu's name and focused solely on the return fire, Jackal had done the same and I watched Dimaria drop as his bullet got her right between the eyes. Dimaria and Invel were down, dead on the floor, while Silver and Ajeel fled; I was ready to give chase but I needed someone to stay and protect Lucy. "Those motherfuckers are dead." Her tone was hostile, when her eyes raised I knew it wasn't Lucy but it wasn't Artemis either. This one was far angrier, far more rigid, and there was something almost feral to her eyes. Her hand flew to her hip and the gun was drawn before she vanished into the panicking crowd, Mard and Jackal were waiting for an ambulance so I bolted after her; thankfully I was tall enough that I could at least see her. She rounded a corner and I heard a shot, it rang clear and caused more panic, and I followed only to see Lucy facing a woman that I knew. Purple hair, green eyes, and now scars littered her arms as she held her gun at the blond. It was Kinana.

Erik's ex-fiancé.

* * *

 **So I know I left you with a HUGE cliffy, in the fact that Natsu is bleeding out and Kinana is revealed! I have to apologize for the delay in updates of this story, between moving and starting a new job I've been mad busy and when I want to sit down and write for this something else seems to come up so I had to write it about three hundred words or so at a time. Next week's chapter WILL be posted on Sunday but I'm also working on my BixLu week contributions so I'm going to try and juggle that along with this and Raising Dragons.**


	15. Master of Puppets

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **MASTER OF PUPPETS**

* * *

 _Kinana's POV_

This wasn't Lucy, the hard set to her shoulders and the almost cruel expression on her face was in no way the sweet blond I'd observed with Erik, whoever this was had no good intentions in chasing the others down. "Get out of my way." The blonde's voice was even more angry, almost like a hiss, and I steeled my resolve.

"No." That one word earned the most malicious expression I'd seen on anyone's face, far more intimidating than Erik at his worst, but I knew why I had to do this. Erik wanted _her_ now, even though he said _we_ would be together, and if I couldn't have him then I wasn't letting anyone have him.

"Kinana, stop, what the hell is wrong with you?" My eyes shifted to Laxus, someone I'd _thought_ was my friend, and I knew now that the blond woman had captured him too. Ivan had told me that I'd been replaced, so had Brain, and now I was seeing it.

My hold on the gun tightened. "You can't be serious, Laxus, can you? You should know…I thought we were friends." The blond officer's expression was one of pity, the pain in my chest rankled as I glared at him, and when he spoke I knew that tone.

He was talking down to me, like I was just another troublemaking kid, he was acting like I didn't know what was happening. "Kinana, we _are_ friends, you've been missing for years. You just _vanished_ and nobody knew where you went." Had nobody told them? Had Erik not said a word? My pain was replaced with an anger that filled me to my core.

"What do you mean nobody knew?! I told Erik that I was going to visit my home town and then…" What had happened? Fear filled me, everything was blank after that.

"Kina…" My fingers squeezed on reflex, the trigger offering no resistance, and I felt my shoulder jerk as the recoil of the handgun came; I had forgotten, again, that I'd held a weapon. The recoil caused my aim to be off at least and pain exploded in my upper arm as the sound of another gun going off sounded.

* * *

 _Zeref's POV_

It was always the same, listening to August drone on and on about the finances of the business, and I frankly was getting bored of it. The door slammed open so suddenly that I heard August let out a gasp, no doubt his wrinkled old heart losing a few minutes of its life, and I met furious blue eyes as Acnologia slammed a folder onto my desk. Dimaria and Invel's lifeless bodies the center of the photographs, two of my strongest and most influential were gone, and I raised my eyes again to the tanned man who was glaring down at me. "Is there a story accompanying these photographs?" His scowl deepened.

"Mard told them everything. Jackal, Tempester, Torafuzar…they all worked for him. Ivan's son is headed to Crocus with Lucy, they know about Crawford." A burst of anger filled me, of course that _bastard_ Mard had defected, knowing that some of the strongest people on my side weren't even mine…I understood more than ever how _he_ had felt then.

"Crawford has initiated the escape, correct?" Acnologia's arms crossed over his chest and he shook his head. "That fucker got caught. By Toma Fiore himself." The silence was deafening, August having gone quiet too, and I knew Acnologia was waiting for some kind of reply. "I'm going, boss, Ajeel and Silver have to get the hell out of there." I glanced at him, wondering why he thought my _Second in Command_ going there would be a good idea.

"Acnologia." His eyes burned with an emotion I couldn't place and I acquiesced, he had a point to make it seemed, and as he stalked out of the room I looked to the old man. "Send as many as we can from Orochi Harbor into other surrounding cities, they will get caught if they stay close to the port town, and make sure that they understand not to try and deal while they flee. No trails." August left the room, old he may be but the man was a force to be reckoned with still, and a sultry chuckle drew my gaze.

Midnight hair fell in soft waves to her waist, bright brown eyes gleamed with mischief, and her lips were lifted into a smile that more often than not made me want her; this time though her look was almost…malicious. "Don't worry, Zee, your little blond girl won't be too hard to get to. I've got a plan." Seeing as she was the true second in command, Acnologia was a delusional fool and thought he was slick after all, I knew that when she said she had a plan that she really did mean it.

"What plan would that be, Kay?" Katja Marvel, the girl was a nineteen-year-old with a heart of ice, and I loved watching her take people down. A skilled assassin, a devious little woman, and she had her own goals in all of this.

"I'm going to pay my sister a visit, I haven't seen Wendy in years after all, maybe bring her home for a little while."

* * *

 _Jackal's POV_

Mard had the ambulance for Natsu and so I took off after Laxus and Lucy, they hadn't made any returns in the eight minutes we'd been waiting after all. Rounding a few turns I saw blood on the floor, a discarded shell, and booked it down the hall. I damn near tripped over my feet as I came to a sudden halt, Laxus was laying against a wall with a bruise forming on his left eye and a knife wound on his upper arm. "Shit." I didn't wait, he was alive and his wound wasn't fatal, Lucy could be on her way to Zeref by now.

I wasn't an idiot, the recent change in Mard was because he had his friend back, we could all be ourselves because Lucy had accepted the man and put her trust in him; he was happy and he wanted to fight for his happiness. As one of the few he called friends…I knew I owed a lot to the sassy blond woman. The sound a fist meeting flesh was just ahead and as I rounded the corner I watched the blond deliver a rich breaking kick to the mid-section of a tall man with tan skin and white hair.

The man grunted as he hit the wall and the cruel look on her face was alarming as she picked up her discarded gun and smirked at him. "Renato…Brain…whatever you choose to go by. The Fourth Master of Fairy Tail hereby declares you an enemy to Fiore, to the safety of its citizens, and for this reason you _will_ die." The blond fired, the bullet piercing him right between the eyes, and I snapped out of my stupor as Lucy turned to look at me.

"I'm not Lucy…not really, anyway." The blond had DID, more than one personality, so it stood to reason Artemis wasn't the only one. "My name is Cheshire, the portion of Lucy fueled by rage, the one that can kill with a smile." Her words stuck with me, Cheshire was just like I was, the dark persona protected Lucy and the people she cared for by taking extreme measures.

"One in the same then, you and I. How do we cover this up?" The blond chuckled. "We have Mard the lawyer, Laxus the police chief, and I've gotten a call to Hisui already. We're fine." The voice was a bit higher pitched than Lucy's normal tone, it had a hissing quality to it, and the brown eyes held a ring of red around the pupil; as that faded I knew I was looking at Lucy, her eyes scanning the hallway, and as they landed on Brain she didn't react. Instead she put her safety on and looked at me.

"What should we do?" I knew why she was asking, if we left now without any police work then it could look like a murder, and I dialed the number I had for the red-head.

"Oi, Red, we were attacked at the train station. Brain is dead, Laxus is hurt, and Natsu was shot." Her answer was a shrill reply, screeching, before she hung up; Lucy tucked her gun away and looked around. We headed back to where Laxus was, the blond man waking up as Lucy checked him for any other wounds, and he seemed put off as they both looked around.

"Where'd Kina go?" Lucy shrugged, I shrugged, and he scowled.

"Who is Kinana?" Laxus looked at Lucy when the question was asked and sighed.

"Erik's missing ex-fiancé. They dated from sixteen to eighteen, wanted to get married right out of high school, and they were engaged for two months. They got into a fight, a stupid argument about Erik's closed lip past. Kina didn't know what he went through as a kid and he refused to tell her, he didn't want to scare her, and she broke off the engagement and said she never wanted to see him again. We were all there, it was at a bonfire I'd been hosting, and then she went missing. Sure, she said she was going home, but Erik went to Shirotsume and couldn't find her. Nobody had even seen her. We spent nearly a year investigating before I was forced to close the case but we still chased rumors for so long…"

The pain in his voice was enough to know they had been close, very close, and I could tell Lucy was taking it rather hard judging by the tears in her eyes. To know that the man she'd fallen for had been engaged to someone else once upon a time…Seilah had gone through it too and that was why she'd sworn off men and decided that she and Kyouka were better off together.

"Laxus it was like she had amnesia…like she didn't remember what happened."

* * *

 _Erik's POV_

The station was surrounded by as many officers as we could manage, Natsu was loaded up in an ambulance and had apologized profusely to everyone he could, and I knew by the pain in his heart and the thoughts he was thinking that he was sincere. There was hope, at least, but he'd still nearly killed Chelia. One day he would be out of jail but he did need some punishment, though him taking a bullet for Lucy certainly gave me _some_ sympathy. I strode past the corpses of Dimaria and Invel, which were being taken by the morticians, and as I rounded a hallway I could hear Laxus' voice just ahead.

"Chief!" Laxus turned and I could see the shiner on his face, he'd been hit pretty fuckin' hard, and as I stepped up to them Lucy lowered her eyes; I saw it, who she'd run into, and then I saw Brain attack Laxus and Cheshire give chase. I watched Lucy kill Brain, Kinana having vanished in the confusion, and Lucy met my gaze as I lifted her chin to make her look at me. "Hey, Lucy…" I could see her insecurities, her doubts and fears, and I leaned down to capture her lips.

As I pulled back and looked at her I felt her tremble slightly. "Kinana and I had a good relationship but it wasn't anything like what you and I have, what I want with you, and I won't be running off after her for any romantic reasons. We were friends and I want to know she's okay but I don't love her…not like that. Not anymore." It wasn't some stupid romance novel where I would go back to Kinana, she'd left me because I hadn't been able to open up to her and I knew I never could, and Lucy clutched my shirt as she leaned her forehead against my chest.

"Natsu will be okay, the shot wasn't fatal, and other than jail time I can tell he regrets the choice he made and wants to make it right. We need to get Crawford away from the King." Lucy nodded and stepped back. "Right. Laxus, Jackal, Mard, and I will go to Crocus still." I nodded and couldn't help but be proud, Lucy was fighting just as hard for her freedom as the rest of us, and I could only hope that soon she would be free to enjoy life again.

"We have to head out now though, I managed to contact Hisui and she said there was trouble in the palace, she made sure the guards know I'm arriving with three others." Laxus nodded and instead of a train they decided to go by car. Jackal had volunteered his Jeep Wrangler, since he could off-road with it too and cut corners along the way, and I watched as they headed out before Erza dropped a sheet over Brain's corpse.

For the first time, in a long time really, I closed my eyes and focused on my powers; I let them expand, feeling the mass of people and hearing their thoughts, and as I pushed more I heard the person I was looking for. _'What happened to me when I left? Why doesn't it seem right?'_ Kinana's voice was faint, she was running out of my range, and I followed the hallways and kicked open a back door into one of the alleys.

As I ran I thought to our break up, about her screaming and calling me selfish, and at the time she was right. I wanted a good future but I hadn't been over my past, I still wasn't really, but now I was closer to accepting what had happened and Lucy wasn't perfect either. Kinana had come from a nice family, had no criminal history, and then she met me and I fucked that up; I'd gotten her in trouble more times than I could count and at the time it had been _fun_. Now though I wanted to apologize and I had to fix this mess.

"Kinana!" Her form froze, she turned slowly, and I watched the way her eyes traced my form before she turned her entire body. Her upper arm was bleeding, Cheshire had shot her in the arm in a defensive reflex when Kinana had accidentally shot, and yet there was something wrong. I could hear her thoughts, she was confused and elated, but it seemed muddled. "Kinana." Then I saw it, in the crook of her elbow, the needle marks; she was a user. It began to add up, the mood swings and problems, but how had I missed that before?!

"Kina." I spoke softer now and watched as she sobbed before she ran toward me, barreling into my chest, and I made sure her hands were pressed between us as I held her close in a form of comfort and to restrain her if she freaked out.

"Erik! I'm so sorry but I don't know what I did, I can't remember, there are huge black spots." I watched her board a train, black spot, then she was in a car, black spot, and a few flashes of her parents floated around her mind too.

"We can fix it if you just stop, let us help you, there are people who are worried about you and miss you greatly."

"I know."

* * *

 _Precht's POV_

Things were going according to plan, really, and it was almost amusing how the pieces of this game thought they were coming out on top. I regarded Ivan as he spoke to his task group, they were being dispatched to end Laxus once and for all, and penned an anonymous tip to the police station's box. The blond Chief wasn't one of the more important pawns but he couldn't die, not yet, and so I would foil Ivan's attempts when he made them.

' _Mavis…to think all of this is over you.'_


	16. White Rabbit

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **WHITE RABBIT**

* * *

 _Lucy's POV_

Things were hazy, my memory was blurring, but why? I did a quick scan of the room I sat in, arms restrained behind me, and I knew immediately something was wrong. But I wasn't…I wasn't an adult. I was a kid, I knew because this was a room back at the Manor, my mother stood in the doorway watching me with a sad smile on her face.

" _I'm so sorry."_ Her soft whisper seemed to echo and the room seemed to shatter around me. Had someone drugged me? What the fuck was going on? _'Artemis! Cheshire!'_ I searched for those two fragments of myself, the one a creation of rage and the drive for revenge while the other a protector who came when I needed her, but neither one was answering.

What the hell was going on? _"Lucy! Hold still, Lucy!"_ I could vaguely hear Jackal and Mard but what the fuck was happening?

* * *

 _Laxus' POV_

It would have been fine, I imagined, if we'd managed to get to Crocus; but the excitement and adrenaline had worn off and all four of us had been exhausted. So stopping in Bellarosa, a city maybe ten miles from Crocus, had seemed smart at the time. It was a fairly large city, one that had a police force known for being among the best, and now I was regretting that choice.

The blond woman was shaking, trembling, and Mard was holding her wrists while Jackal held her legs so she didn't kick anyone. "What the fuck happened?" Mard was beginning to lose his cool, and Jackal scoffed.

"The fuckin' pipsqueak from room service, Lucy was the one to go to the door, he jabbed something in her arm." I turned to look at the hallway where the kid was slumped against the wall and stalked over, in his hand was a needle, and as soon as the crime lab arrived I knew that we would be able to identify what the hell had been put into her system.

"Fuck! How far of a fucking reach does this guy even have?" I was angry, beyond angry.

I turned my head to look at Jackal when he grunted. "Really fuckin' far, actually, but this isn't Zeref's work. If he's got a target on someone he won't drug them, plus Acnologia would have a fuckin' fit if Lucy got something like this done, this is some would be guy who's tryin' to make another hooker to pimp out."

"He's right. This is the exact pattern of Bluenote's group." Bellarosa's Chief of Police strode in with several officers, his dark eyes meeting mine, and the pair of us shook hands.

"Hello Jura. Thank you for coming in such a short time."

"Of course, Laxus, and we'll make sure that Lucy is detoxed right away. Thankfully we have a great emergency staff." The men who came in had scrubs on, a set up for an emergency IV drip, and I watched as the officers Jura had brought carried the kid away and the needle was taken.

"We're administering a medicine into her blood that we've found to counteract most of the drugs based on injection use, she will most likely be dehydrated and dizzy for several hours."

Mard looked at Jura and I could see the wheels in his head turning. "Any ideas if Bluenote is his own boss or if he works for someone higher?"

"I'm positive Bluenote works for someone." The reply was not what any of us wanted to hear and I knew that anger was going to be one of the strongest emotions going right now.

"We may have the identification of whom that is but we're working to keep his ass out of Fiore." Jura nodded his head and his arms crossed, I could tell he was thinking, and I felt my anger rise when he did answer.

"I know who you're talking about, Zeref, we managed to help purge Orochi Harbor of nearly fifty of his dealers alongside Police Chief Mikazuchi."

That fucker had gotten across, put lives at risk, and now we had a potential war on out hands; if the citizens of Fiore found out we knew this was happening and weren't able to get a handle on the problem…it could be a riot in the making. "Crawford is his connection in, we're on the way to Crocus now to see the King, Lucille has pull with the Princess and she can get us in." Jura's eyes sparkled with pride.

"Very good. We've got a pinpoint on Bluenote's location, as it is, and I'd like to know if perhaps Magnolia can spare some fire power." It was risky but if Bluenote was in Zeref's pocket then it would be one less problem.

"Call Erza, she is acting in my stead, but Jura…I've enacted Fairy Law." The man before me closed his eyes before nodding; he was considering his reply and making sure to consider all solutions first.

"We must eliminate the dangers to our homes, I understand why you've done so, Chelia being wounded was a deep blow to Sherry seeing as they were in Magnolia for school only. I was glad to see how that situation was handled, Laxus, and I accept what you've enacted." He grabbed his radio and I knew that it was time. "Lyon, tell all officers that the raid on Bluenote begins tonight, we will have aid from Magnolia. Fairy Law has been enacted in Magnolia and I hereby enact Lamia's Venom." I knew that at one point in time all of the major police forces had codes for manhunts against highly dangerous criminals, my grandfather had almost enacted Fairy Law when the Balam Ring was still active, but he had chosen note to.

"Mermaid's Song has been enacted as well as Sabertooth's Fang, they had been enacted when we purged Orochi Harbor."

* * *

 _Hisui's POV_

It had been two days since I had heard from Lucy and I was growing worried, my father did believe us but he had to have proof before he ordered executions and risked starting a war. I looked at him, worried, and he sighed softly.

"We're here! I apologize for being late."

The doors burst open to reveal a weary looking blond and the group of three with her, the guards around them tense, and I could tell something was wrong with her. "Lucy…" The blond woman shook her head and I watched as she motioned to the dark haired man and his blond guard. These had to be Mard and Jackal, two of the men that were insiders of Zeref, and I was tense as they stepped forward.

"I apologize for meeting you this way, I am Mard Geer, my guard Jackal has managed to obtain all the documentation needed to persecute Crawford for treason." The man with blond hair handed us a large dossier with disks, flash drives, and stacks of papers. I watched my father's face as he scanned a good portion of the papers, his legal team entering the room, and it took only minutes for the ten-man team to rip through the paper work and digital evidence.

"They're right, sir, all of this proves Crawford has been in Zeref's pocket the entire time. Or, Spriggan, as he is called on his home turf." My eyes met Lucy's, her pupils were dilated and she looked pale, her left arm was bandaged and I knew she'd been attacked. Knowing that these things were happening, so close to home, I had to do something.

"Father…" He looked at me and I knew that he was dreading what we both knew would be the best course of action, a drastic measure, but with the evidence presented to us and the police forces in most major cities having enacted their manhunt codes…my father nodded very softly and I stood up.

"Darton, contact Arcadios, tell him that it is time for Eclipse." The Minister trembled but nodded, leaving the room, and Lucy visibly relaxed as my father stood up.

"It is time for us to fight back, Eclipse means that the royal army will disperse to all cities and assist the police forces in place. We will have all cities and towns ready to fight Zeref and his influence." Knowing that Precht Gaebolg, Ivan Dreyar, and many other criminals were out there to hurt people made me sick and I know my father felt the same.

"Tempester is my best at hacking, he will be in charge of trying to track any computer or digital orders, any news will be passed along." I nodded to Mard and my father did too.

"Fiore thanks you for your service, Mard, and that of your guards. I will give you all immunity, just this once, as long as you stay on our side. Any word of treason and your life will be forfeit." The two men nodded and Laxus moved forward.

"Police Chiefs Neekis, Mikazuchi, Orland, Groh, Kotobuki, and myself all have the information needed on who the enemy is. Any members of the military that need this information can report to us." Knowing that Makarov's grandson was going this far…all to fight the evils in the world, was touching.

* * *

 _Gajeel's POV_

I frowned at my phone, unable to stop myself, and I made tracks for the local community school; Wendy was in class, with Chelia, on a summer course for pre-med candidates. The two girls had been taking the class and the Professor had just called. With Lucy out of the city I was the emergency contact, since Wendy was living with me, and evidently someone claiming to be Wendy's sister had arrived just that morning. It wasn't Lucy, the Professor was Porlyusica and she knew just what Lucy looked like since she was the blond woman's therapist, it was a girl who did _look_ related to Wendy.

If Wendy's family showed up…what would happen now? Lucy adored the girl, Wendy was her sister legally, it was official, but the blond wouldn't deny Wendy the chance to know her family. As I entered the building, which wasn't a far walk from the police station, I saw the older teen with a short bob; she did look like Wendy, there was no other explanation, but she had a cruel look on her face and as I watched her arm shift I caught the tattoo on her shoulder. Zeref's mark.

With Fairy Law enacted, with Eclipse in place, I had everything I needed. I strode over, watching the confusion on her face, and smirked before pushing her into the wall and handcuffing her. "What is the meaning of this?" She demanded, her tone arrogant, and I smirked. "The King and every Chief of Police in Fiore has enacted the right to arrest any affiliated with Zeref, including those bearing his mark, so you're coming with me sweetheart."

The girl wasn't quiet, not at all, she screamed all the way to the station; but the public announcement had been made, Erza had gone to the local television station and done a video announcement of what was happening, and any suspicious activity was being reported. With the armies on the way to help the load would be easier but for now we had to just prevent a lot of danger.

As I locked the girl in a cell, beside one of Ivan's men that we'd captured, I heard my radio beep.

" _Ivan Dreyar has been eliminated."_

Cobra's manhunt had been a success

" _Bluenote Stinger has been eliminated."_

Lyon's manhunt had also been a success.

" _Zoldeo Alura has been eliminated."_

The man that had done what he had to Lucy was gone thanks to Minerva.

" _Ikaruga Tsubasa has been eliminated."_

Kagura Mikazuchi had ended her manhunt in record time.

"It feels like we're going to win this thing." Macao commented with a smile, earning a nod, and I looked at the door leading to the prison. The King would be the one to decide who was executed, who was given jail time, and I knew that if things didn't speed up it would be very bloody. Very fast.

* * *

 _Mavis' POV_

It was warm, I was content, but at the same time something was wrong. I giggled, looking out of the door of the house I'd spent the last five years of my life in, and turned to look at the group of people around me. Igneel, Metallicana, Grandine, Skiadrum, and Weisslogia had saved my life in getting me away from Zeref. He'd been one of my best friends, my first love, and then he'd turned on me. Claiming I'd intended to leave him from the start, he'd been delusional; I had nearly died, even Precht had said it was a miracle I had survived, but soon I would go back. They had taught me how to fight, taught me how to think, and soon I would go and end this whole problem.

These men and women had left their kids, left their own sons and daughters, for me. I would repay them when I confronted Zeref once and for all. Then I would apologize to the one person who deserved it the most, the one person who had suffered from all of this, and maybe she would find it in her to forgive me.

* * *

 **That chapter practically wrote itself, good things have happened, and the counter strike against Zeref begins at last.**


	17. Bloodstream

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **BLOODSTREAM**

* * *

 _Kinana's POV_

The small room was comfortable, though a little lonely, but I knew I had to stay here; things would work out, they had to, Erik had promised he would help me get better. Help me remember…what had happened after that day? Why did I not remember anything about visiting my parents? A dull throbbing in my arm drew my gaze to the healing puncture marks, the drugs, oh God the drugs. I felt my mouth go dry, my head started to throb, and the cycle started again. I'd just woken up from passing out, every time I was awake now I craved it, I needed that sweet rush of pleasure. Nothing felt right…I couldn't be _me_ without that sweet pinprick that brought liquid personality into my veins.

I looked up as the door opened, the young woman that entered had pink hair in two pigtails and a cute smile, she was holding a tray of food. "It's supper time, Miss Kinana." Then I recognized her, this girl was the one who had put something else in me; they'd strapped me down to the bed and rather than what I craved they gave me something that stripped me bare. A detox, they called it, it flushed all of the drugs out of my system and left me feeling helpless; I counted the days I had been like this, three total, by the things I was experiencing. Soon the voices would start, the ones that reminded me that I was stupid to have forgotten and that I was worthless…I'd been abandoned.

"Kinana." The harsh voice demanded my attention, breaking through the haze, and I stared at the man with spiky brown hair; he was a toxicologist, he worked for the police force in Snapdragon, Dobengal.

I couldn't help the anger in my voice when I replied, it was like a fire burning through my body, like a roaring anger that couldn't be contained. "What?!" His dark eyes kept trained on mine, I couldn't tell what he was even thinking, and then he dismissed the girl Chelia and closed the door behind him. It was just him and I here now.

* * *

 _Mavis' POV_

The train was nearly empty, the eight of us were sitting in a car to ourselves, and I could see that the others were nervous; it had been years since they had seen their children, though we still had quite a way to travel, and I knew that I owed those people one hell of an apology. I hadn't been strong enough, not prepared for Zeref's sudden change, and because of that seven kids had lost their parents. Guilt plagued me, I couldn't help feeling it, and I blinked as Igneel's hand dropped on my head. "Mavis, it's okay, we _chose_ to leave them and we all knew what we were risking. If Natsu never wants to see me again…well I'll be okay. It will hurt but I will get through it." I nodded, sadly, and looked out of the window.

News of Zeref's attempt at getting to Ishgar had spread fast, most cities were keeping the strictest watch on any entrances; we still had three days on the train to even get remotely close to Magnolia, where Zeref was planning to end up it seemed, and then we would have to drive. But soon it would be over, I would finally fix things, I _had_ to.

* * *

 _Erik's POV_

Perfection, this had to bit it, my arms wrapped tighter around her waist as Lucy's mouth moved against mine; my apartment had never felt so stifling as it did now, everything about her was hot, and her tongue brushed against mine before I angled my head and dominated her mouth. Her whimper of need wasn't unheard, it stirred me up to new heights, and I easily flipped her from her spot on my lap so I was above her; we pulled back to breathe, only for that, before our mouths met again. God I wanted her, and I could hear that she wanted me just as badly, and my hands abandoned her waist to stroke her thighs. Legs were my poison, a girl with killer legs was all I needed, and Lucy had some of the best legs I'd ever seen.

Slender ankles, toned calves and thighs, leading to perfectly curvy hips; she wasn't a stick girl, she had just enough muscle and fat to look _real_ and I loved every bit of it. My attention to her thighs earned them locking around my waist, her body lifting up to mine, and I offered only the faintest of touches to her derriere before a hand slid up her back to stroke the soft skin. "T-tease." She accused, gasping as I found a particularly sensitive spot along her spine that wracked her body with chills, and I could hear just how much she liked it.

"Don't worry, Lucy, I'm going to take the best care of you." My promise sent another round of chills through her, chocolate eyes darkening to a near black with lust, our mouth clashing once more as her hands gripped my hair and her body ground against mine.

 _Ring ring ring ring ring, banana phone. Boop-bo-ba-doo-ba-doop_

The pair of us pulled back, alarmed at the sudden cellphone ring, and I swiped the device from my nightstand with an angry sound. "The hell do you want, Macbeth?" I heard a low chuckle on the other end before there was a distinct feminine giggle on the other end too.

" _Sora and I aren't going to be home tonight, we're staying over with Meredy and Gray. Jellal and Ultear have work so we're gonna make sure nothin' happens."_ With the dangers springing up it was a bad idea to be in groups smaller than three or four, Macbeth had promised that if there was a reason he wouldn't be home he'd tell me. I couldn't be mad that he was doing what I'd asked of him. Sawyer had already said he was going to be going out with someone else, he had a few stunt car buddies that had been pestering him to go to some rally in Bosco, and so it'd just be Lucy and I here.

"Alright, got it, stay safe." I heard a 'you too' as I hung up the device and set it down; Lucy was still watching me, her eyes shining, and I leaned down and gave her a tender kiss this time. The heat that had sprung up between us before had faded a little but this kiss brought it roaring back, I wasn't going to hold back from her this time, phone be damned unless someone broke in I was going get as many sexy sounds from this woman as I could.

* * *

 _Mard's POV_

I knew it was risky but I wasn't going to sop Lucy from being happy, she'd finally found someone that understood her, and just because Toby had been her betrothed and one of her best friends didn't mean he was the best thing for her. I had come alone, Kyoyka and Seilah were both working with Erza and Mirajane on a job with Minerva from Snapdragon's police force, Jackal was with the Hellebore police force, and the others were working with the royal army on securing the cities.

"Mard." I lifted my gaze to look into electric blue eyes, matching the tattoos on his tanned skin, and I blinked slowly as I looked at the man who was once one of my best friends. Tobias had changed, truly had become Acnologia, and I doubt he even knew that.

We shook hands, something we'd become used to, and perched on a bunch of boxes that littered the alleyway. "Toby…you have to stop. Lucy is finally happy." I watched him, carefully, after watching him break a man's neck with his bare hands before it paid to be wary. I could see the struggle in his eyes, how he didn't want to accept it, and he lifted his gaze to me.

I knew he figured out the truth. "You told her." I nodded and knew by his expression he was waiting for me to elaborate, even if he was mad at me Toby always at least allowed me to give him my reasons for what I had done.

"I didn't want to lose her as a friend, Toby. What if all of this went wrong, what if she denied us after we played hero? I couldn't risk losing my first friend, Toby, and I know that you don't want to risk that either. I'd rather have her in my life than lose her for good." His eyes were narrowed but I could tell he understood, of course he did, and I watched him run a hand through his messy hair.

Both of us were stuck. "I don't think I'll get a chance, Mard, I've worked too close with Zeref." I didn't hesitate in dropping a hand on his.

"I did, Toby, because I told her the truth. You know Lucy would never deny a friend and if you're honest with her then I have no doubts that she'll fight for your freedom just like she has with mine and the others. Lucy hadn't even known Kyouka, Seilah, Tempester, or any of them and yet she asked the Princess and King for their diplomatic immunity." He looked at me and I could see that he was starting to come around, he would be a valued ally since he'd known as much about Zeref's plans as he did.

He went to speak and suddenly pushed me, hard, as the sound of a gunshot ran out; I heard the cough, felt the hot liquid on my chest, and realized he had gotten shot…Toby had just taken a bullet for me. I turned my head to see Wahl, another one of Zeref's men, grinning at us; he held his gun, ready to fire, and then I watched the way his eyes widened. He turned his head, to look to his right, and a bullet pierced the pale skin. Bisca and Alzack ran into the alleyway, I had asked them to come as back up if I didn't return to the station in twenty minutes, and those two had just saved my life. "Bisca, Alzack, please help me get Toby to a hospital." The woman didn't hesitate, Alzack on the other hand made sure Wahl was dead after a check of his pulse, and the dark haired man held his handguns ready as we waited for the ambulance.

Toby had taken a shot to the left shoulder, possibly in the lung, and I feared that he wouldn't get to apologize to Lucy before he was gone for good. Anger flooded me and I knew now was the time for me to get involved, I'd become a lawyer for the reasoning that I was intelligent…but I had done things for Zeref and learned from my guards.

* * *

 _Lucy's POV_

The morning was too damn bright, waking up beside a warm body that I knew very intimately, and I opened my eyes to see Erik smirking at me; of course that mind reader knew just what I was thinking. "I dunno, I rather liked that dream of yours, maybe we can have a replay?" He kissed him, hard, and groaned as he pulled me up to straddle him; in one swift stroke he filled me, pleasure rippled through my body, and I couldn't stop the ragged cry of pleasure that seemed to erupt from my throat.

Our bodies moved against one another, his hips lifting to meet mine when I would slide down his shaft, and I just couldn't get enough; he had scratches and marks on his arms and back from my nails, I knew I had more than a few bite marks and darkened spots along my chest and thighs, and I was flying high on pleasure as he pulled me down for a kiss and rolled us over so he could angle his hips to brush against every sweet spot.

He grabbed my hair and pulled, the feeling sent a curse flying from my mouth as he angled my head so he could get to my neck and shoulders. Each thrust sent me higher and higher, each touch of his hands on my skin made me hotter and hotter, and as his strokes got faster and a bit harder I found myself teetering over the edge. I cried out his name, breaking the silence of the house, and only a few thrusts later he found his own release.

I tangled myself with him, not wanting to leave this paradise I'd found with him yet, and he held me close. Even if it was just for a little while we could pretend that nothing was wrong.

* * *

 _Levy's POV_

Wendy and I had just finished breakfast, Gajeel had kept me up pretty late so I was drinking coffee for a change, and I smiled at Ryos and Sting as the pair helped clean up a bit. It had been a while since any of us had seen Lucy but Gajeel had promised she was with Erik yesterday, and the door opened to her pleasant voice. "I'm back, sorry for taking so long!" Lucy and Gajeel entered with Erik, who was holding the blonde's hand, and I grinned as Sting and Wendy both abandoned their chores to run to her.

Lucy had a good effect on those kids, they adored her, and as she coddled them it was easy to see she felt the same way; I shared a smile with Gajeel, who ruffled Ryos' hair as Lucy coddled him too, and immediately the blond began helping me with breakfast. I spied the dark marks on her neck, flashing her a suggestive wink, and she snickered with a nod. I was happy that she was getting some joy out of this mess, that even in all this she was finding happiness, and we dished out food and sat down for a meal together.

A phone going off alerted us, Lucy answering the device, and her face went pale before she seemed to nod. "R-right. I'll be there soon." As she hung up I saw the tension in Erik's shoulders. "Tobias…Acnologia…he came to Fiore. Mard was talking with him, trying to get him to realize that he should help us instead of trying to do anything else…Toby took a bullet for Mard and he's in the hospital. They're saying it punctured his left lung…his chances are looking bad." I watched as Erik and Gajeel exchanged firm looks, myself and Wendy were worried, but it was Sting and Ryos who surprised all of us.

"We'll all go with you, Lucy, we have to stick together. If Zeref is trying to silence him we can't put the pair of you in a room together for anything longer than five minutes, it's like prime bait." The pure logic in Sting's statement earned a sad nod from the older female and I watched her face, she was upset of course, but in her eyes I could see that anger. Now that I knew she had DID it was easier to identify the signs of her varying personalities coming out to play, same with Mira, and I hoped Cheshire knew she wasn't needed yet.

"Lu-chan…we _will_ win this. You know that." When she lifted her eyes I knew it was Lucy looking back at me.

"I know, Levy-chan."

* * *

 **Alright, I am SO sorry, next week is when I will be sending ya'll on a big ol' feel trip. I'm not gonna say but it's the chapter I almost posted a few chapters ago that I needed bridge chapters to make it more relevant.**


	18. Heathens

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

 **HEATHENS**

* * *

 _Natsu's POV_

* * *

There was a beeping, a dull beeping, that drew me into consciousness; there was someone in the room, soft voices, and I turned my head to look at the nurse talking with Lucy. The blond looked both exhausted and elated, I'd brought so much trouble onto her, and Erik glanced at me from beside her. _I'm so sorry._ The man nodded, faintly, and I let my eyes close again to sleep; I'd been so selfish this entire time, all I had wanted was to see Igneel again, now I was too ashamed for my father to see me.

 _"Remember, my boy, you_ must _protect your friends and the rest of the world if you choose to be an officer; Officers of the Law vow to serve and protect the people."_

All I had wanted was to be a hero, and now? Now I had almost killed someone, a civilian and an innocent.

"Natsu, shhh, I forgive you." Lucy's hands gripped one of mine, I'd been gripping the sheets tightly, and I cried into her shoulder as she leaned down to hug me.

"I'm sorry Luce!"

* * *

 _Sherry's POV_

* * *

Cradling the little girl, Chelia's best friend, was all I could really do as I watched my cousin breath in her unconscious state; Porlyusica, their teacher and a very well known doctor, sat on the other side of the bed. Wendy was blaming herself, for getting Chelia involved in whatever was going on, but there was no way to really blame anyone for the asshole trying to create a drug ring in Ishgal. "How is she?" Lucy was quiet as she slipped into the room, hope in those brown eyes, and I sighed gently.

It hurt to admit it. "There's been no change." A hand rested on my shoulder, Wendy moving to curl against her sister, and Lucy's eyes reflected guilt too. But Lyon had told me what was happening, since I traveled between the two cities so often with Chelia, and I couldn't find it in me to blame Lucy or even Natsu for what happened.

Sure, I was mad at the pink haired boy, he had been the one to shoot...but he had just wanted to find his Dad after being abandoned. A small part of me couldn't fault him for that, oddly enough.

But a real truth remained. "I can't afford these hospital bills." I'd have to pull so much overtime, maybe get a second job, and panic made my heart race. I would lose my house, and Chelia-

"Hey, Natsu is paying for all the medical bills Chelia incurs, you're going to be fine. He said it was the least he could do for almost killing her." That he even understood that much about the system was, oddly, surprising; the man seemed clueless and like he had no clue just how money worked.

"Mm."

I whipped my head to where the monitors sped up a bit. "Chelia!"

* * *

 _Erza's POV_

* * *

"Well, this is a surprise, you're not who I expected to see here."

The husky voice made me turn, immediately, as I went for my weapon; but I didn't make it in time, the pain of a blow to the ribs dropped me as I lifted my eyes to look into steel violet eyes. "Y-you, you work for _him_?!" That the mark even sat on that pale flesh, marred that skin, pissed me off; I watched red painted lips curl upward into a disgusting sneer.

"Of course I do, I love him you see, but as happy as I am for this reunion I have a job." The barrel of the gun flashed in the low light as Eileen, my own mother, looked at me with the intent to kill.

But I wouldn't go down without a fight.

I watched the blood spray as my own gun jerked in my hand, the look of surprise on her face well worth the black spots forming in my vision, and I felt liquid pain run from my eyes as I hit the ground again. Jellal would never know just how much I loved him, he'd never know what I'd kept hidden from him, and I'd never get to be a mom; my hands touched my lower abdomen where I'd have begun swelling in a few months.

"I'm so sorry Aislinn."

* * *

 _Laxus' POV_

* * *

Too late. I was _never_ late, ever, I prided myself in being able to be where I needed to be well before; people called me Lightning because of that, I moved like a flash, but as I stared at the ambulance my eyes zeroed in on the pale skin and limp hand. Tears formed in my eyes as I grabbed my radio.

 _"Attentio, MPD, a moment of silence for our fallen comrade. Erza Scarlet was killed in action."_

There was a break in my voice, which I hated, but I couldn't ignore the fact that my rival and friend was gone. For good. It hurt, my chest ached, and I could hear the disbelief in the responses I was getting as I climbed into my cruiser. My hands gripped the wheel tightly, my eyes burned with rage, and I began driving without a real destination in mind.

I had to tell Jellal.

The blue haired man, it seemed, had gotten the news before I could arrive however; he stood, decked out in a loose fitting combat uniform, waiting for me. This was Mystogan, the mercenary who had eluded my capture for years, Jellal had died when Erza had died. "Don't stop me, Laxus."

I couldn't ask him to be safe, I couldn't ask him to remain passive, he had as much a right to hunt them down as I did. He'd been employed by the King himself, still was actually, he was technically above my pay grade. "Take out as many as you can." It was a suicide attack, going off the automatic weaponry he was decked out in.

"Understood."

I watched him pull on the cloak and march away, to get to Alvarez he'd have to take a boat, and watching one of my friends walk to his death hurt. But what hurt more was knowing that it would get worse before it got better.

* * *

 _Sorano's POV_

* * *

The two urns were like fire and water, scarlet and cerulean, they matched Erza and Jellal perfectly. Gray stood by my side, Erik on the other, and I could hear the sniffles from Lucy as she tried to stay strong. I stared blankly at the urns as they were lowered into the ground, my throat tightening, and as the final prayer was said I felt Gray shiver beside me. His best friend, that moron Natsu, was in cuffs but he'd been allowed to come too. "Don't give Natsu jail time, make him help us hunt them down, we _need_ to end this." Gray was looking fiercely at Laxus as he tried to bully the Chief into giving in but the blond man looked as lost as most of the assembled felt.

"He's recovering, and will be while we finish this manhunt, I know you're angry but don't send your best friend to die when you just lost the other." Gray fell silent, his face pale, and I gripped his hand tightly; I was recovering too, stuck doing minimal physical anything because of where the bullet had hit, but my life hadn't been in danger like Natsu's had.

"Sora."

Erik looked terrified. "What's wrong?" We were away from the crowd when I asked, after all it'd be shitty of me to ask with prying ears, and I watched my brother grip the hem of his shirt before his eye clenched shut.

Something big had to be happening and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled his head onto my own shoulder, he had to bend at a bit of an awkward angle since I was shorter but it worked. "We're losing Mira and Lucy." The two women looked stone-faced, hardened, and I knew he meant that they weren't in control; Erik was scared of losing Lucy to Artemis or even Cheshire for good.

He had good reason, if Cheshire could kill with a smile and Artemis could torture without batting an eye, the blonde's personalities were dangerous and so were Mira's from what her brother had said.

* * *

 _Halphas' POV_

* * *

Mard Geer wasn't terrible, truly, but Mirajane's affections for him were too fresh for me to place him in the ring of people I knew I couldn't kill; I could finally have some fun and planned to take advantage of it. Truly. "Mira?" I glanced over at Lisanna and offered the closest thing I could to one of Mirajane's smiles meant to reassure the others, it worked too since Elfman and Lisanna both drew close for a hug.

"I'm scared."

I rubbed their backs and hummed the lullaby I knew they liked. "It'll all be okay, I promise." The psychic was glaring at me, suspicious, and I flipped him off behind the backs of Mira's siblings. It would all be okay because I'd _make_ it okay.

* * *

 _Seilah's POV_

* * *

Kyouka was taking too long, I felt worry creep up my spine, and as I stood in the hospital room for Acologia...Tobias...I felt a sense of dread move up my spine. Worry wasn't something I often felt, I was a trained bodyguard after all, but in getting closer and falling in love with my blue-eyed partner it was becoming a common thing I felt. I cracked the door open, peering out in the hallway, and other than a few nurses there was no sign of her; I toyed with my phone for a few minutes.

"C-call...her." Tobias was weak, the shot had gotten his left kidney, he'd been through surgery and all sorts of procedures; evidently Wahl's goal hadn't been to kill Mard since a killing blow would have hit Tobias in his chest or neck.

He glared at me and I pressed the speed dial button, watching the picture of us appear on the screen, and the line was answered. "Kyouka?" I heard soft breathing on the other end, I knew it was hers, but there was just something wrong about it.

 _"I'm...I'm so sorry. I love you, Seilah."_

The gunshot sound filled my ears just as the phone disconnected and I began shaking, panic rising, and I called Jackal and Torafuzer. "Kyouka was shot, find her, you're closer to her and I've got sentry on Tobias." The pair were grim in acceptance and I knew if anyone found her it'd be them.

It was an agonizing wait, my head and chest pounding, but the phone fell from my hands when I finally got the text response. Tears gathered and fell.

Kyouka was dead.

But so was Silver Fullbuster.

* * *

 _Atemis' POV_

* * *

Too much, far too fast, and I stared at the list of names that had lines drawn through them as I stood in the basement of Fairy Tail. I had already announced Lucy's real identity to the public, and what a shit storm that had been, but there were too many people dying for her to remain hidden much longer. It had to stop somewhere and so now was the time , now was the point that she had to fight back, and I would help her; Cheshire purred, floating close if I needed her, and Gonzales was whimpering somewhere in the bottom depths of our shared mind.

I glanced at Erik's sleeping form, the psychic would be out cold for quite a while, and then I looked around the apartment one last time; the hand gun was tucked on my belt, extra bullets in place, and I closed the door behind me before leaving the building. I knew Erik had ordered a tail on me, my car's plates were marked in the system if any officer saw me driving, but the real problem were paparazzi. As I drove, tinted windows helping hide my appearance, I boarded the ship that would take me to Alvarez.

It was time to settle the score personally.

What I didn't expect was a welcoming committee, the docks were alive with sound, the small group could have passed as a bunch of thugs just watching; but I knew they were his. "Miss Lucy, welcome, if you'll follow us?" I glanced at the group of them, one of them looked like a blond Natsu with dark eyes even, and a small part of me celebrated. They were taking me right to him.

"Of course, lead the way please."

My gun was confiscated, though I didn't really need it, and after patting me down they put me in a limo and we took off. "So what made you see reason?"

I looked at the other blond and smiled. "Too many deaths." The man gave me an odd look, as if catching there was something I wasn't saying, and I really applauded his intelligence since the others looked clueless. The windows went dark, so dark that I couldn't see, and I simply smiled and closed my eyes.

The warehouse seemed to be in a rundown part of town, big surprise, but it wasn't drugs that were present as we entered; Zeref didn't have children prostitutes all over or pimps and their property, instead it looked like a nice office building from the inside, and the man himself wasn't all that bad looking either. "Lucille Heartfilia, or is it Ashley?" I took his extended hand and allowed a coy smile to curl along my lips.

"Either one is fine, seeing as it's impossible to escape my past."

"Unfortunately true, a shame you had to get tangled in this, but there's no time for regret now; we're too far into the game."

I watched him, his steps graceful and his tailored suit highlighted his lean form, he looked a lot like Natsu but acted completely different, his men had taken point around the office and I was curious why the workers hadn't stopped. But then I realized that their cubicles had two way mirrors, sound proof headsets, and each one had controlled temperature settings. They were in their own little world. "Impressive, yes? They won't stop working because they can't see who is watching them, they won't eavesdrop because they can't, and I can keep going with my search." I glanced at him, his mouth too close to my ear, but he simply stepped back and smiled.

"Search? Somehow I doubt this is for real estate in Ishgal." His laugh was nice too, oddly enough, and under normal circumstances I could see Lucy falling for his charm; a pity he was an insane drug lord.

He held up a photograph of a lovely blond with teal eyes, her pink dress made her look like a doll, and the scariest part was that I felt like I had seen her before.

* * *

 **We're actually getting close to the end, there will be a total of 25 chapters to Clean Slate, for those of you who have been waiting for updates I am so very sorry for taking as long as I have. I will try to update either weekly or bi-monthly, since you all deserve that much for being so patient.**


	19. Withdraw

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **WITHDRAW**

* * *

 _Zeref's POV_

Beautiful, really, I couldn't deny just how lovely the Heartfilia Heiress was; large brown eyes, curvy frame, and hair as bright as gold. "My beloved was taken from me, I merely want her back, though the territory expansion won't hurt business." I knew Lacarde and August were watching her closely, ready to kill her if she tried anything, and I resisted the urge to smirk when she handed the photograph back.

"No, I don't know where she is, but you've got business with me and that's what I'm here about Spriggan. Or is it Zeref Dragneel?"

Ah, right, she knew Natsu; my lips curled up into a smile. "Either one is fine, Miss Lucy, as you said prior 'I can't escape my past' after all. What business would you have with me, I wonder?" The flash of emotion in her eyes was brief, controlled, and she took a seat at the small table I had set for meetings.

It was interesting to watch her mouth curl into a smirk of its own, as if she had the upper hand here. "You mean to tell me that targeting the people I've come to care about is merely a coincidence? I'm sorry but I don't believe in those, Mister Dragneel." Interesting still, she was trying to 'humanize' me in her mind, it seemed.

A sparkle of interest filled me then.

 _Mavis' POV_

Magnolia hadn't changed, though the gloomy atmosphere was new, and I pulled my hood up higher as I headed toward the only place that I needed to go; the cafe and club was 'closed' according to the sign but I knew the key code to the basement. The guild room was empty, which was fine, and I studied the numerous charts and lists as well as pictures of those fallen.

It was all too much.

"Hey who are-" The gun that was raised began shaking, the boy's dark eyes were widened to a near painful degree, and Igneel ducked his head in shame. "You'd had better have one hell of a story, Dad, or I might just pull the trigger." I imagined then that this was Natsu, the son that had been left behind, and raised my hands.

"Please, Natsu, allow me to explain. It's _my_ fault he left."

Natsu lowered the gun, pushing a button near him, and sat back down in the chair; injured, I realized, and Igneel looked like he wanted to go to him. But it was time to tell my story to the people who needed it most.

 _Wendy's POV_

It was hard to believe but...we had nothing else. "Who would do that to their own daughter?" A child bride, her parents had given birth to her and sold her when she turned nine; married to an eighteen-year-old when she was only nine, forced to become intimate with him, and due to her age she'd been through numerous miscarriages.

Heartbreaking it was, no denial there, but all of this had gotten the people we loved killed? I sighed and felt tears forming in my eyes. "So because you happened to be a cousin to the Heartfilia line Zeref targeted them? Thinking you were hiding with them?" Mavis hummed gently in reply.

"I'm ashamed to say it was Jude and Layla who arranged for my secret flight from Alvarez, and paid the 'Five Dragon Guard' to watch over me during my recovery. Lucy was not directly involved, of course, but the relation was close enough."

Silence settled over us before Erik made a low sound of annoyance and began pacing, his arms crossed as he seemed to be in deep thought. "Mira went AWOL yesterday, nobody knows where she is, and Lucy's been gone for two days. Knowing them I can imagine they went right for the source." Fear suddenly filled the room, the source would be Zeref, and Lucy had the money to hop a boat.

"Shit!"

Laxus and Erik were bolting for the door before anyone else could react.

 _Artemis' POV_

There was one reassurance that I had, Cheshire was spitting angry and Lucy didn't know what was happening; the biting pain in my ankles began fading, I had worse, and I looked at the man before me. After not being able to give Zeref the answer he wanted they had tried to knock me out with blunt force, dodging was easy enough until firearms got involved.

But Zeref had one hell of a shiner, I'd kicked him pretty damn hard. My ribs protested the movement as I pulled my lower body closer, the empty syringes all around me had been their attempt to drug me up, joke was on them that all four of us were insane in our own ways. Insanely sad, insanely angry, insanely happy, and insanely level-headed.

Unlike the others I didn't act on _emotion_ , I wasn't driven by sympathy or hatred or fear, I was the one that got us out of trouble and protected Lucy and Gonzales from physical threats. Cheshire protected Lucy from the memories of killing, Gonzales was just a cry baby.

"I'm surprised you're still conscious with that cocktail of drugs you've got in your system." The smirking face of August appeared in my line of vision and I spit a wad of blood and saliva right in his face, watching him reel back, but even as he slapped me across the face I grinned.

He'd gotten close.

My legs, which they had not chained even after the kick, wrapped around his knee and I twisted my body using the chains; the man hit the floor, no doubt painfully, and I squeezed tightly on his joint as he screamed in pain. One good knee to the groin had him fall limp, wheezing, and I used my legs to wrap around his neck and squeeze until he stopped kicking. Also using my legs I dragged him closer to the wall, so my arms could search his person, and found the key card that activated the locks.

But the swipe was across the damn room.

"Fuck."

A chuckle made me turn fast, grunting at the sudden grab of my hair. "Fuck indeed, Heartfilia, you just killed my son." Zeref's eyes looked red as he smirked at me, holding the key card he'd taken, and I hissed as he pulled my head back to expose my neck.

He didn't account for Cheshire, though, and as I closed my eyes she let out a manic smile; Lucy was safe, and after this man died she'd be in good hands, it felt strange but I felt _free_. I gladly let Cheshire take over and the last thing I saw was the way Zeref's face paled.

* * *

 **I apologize for the short chapter this go around, I've been doing wedding plans and working a lot to cover the cost of said plans, but I'll make sure to finish this out. I won't let Clean Slate or Raising Dragons stay open ended.**


	20. Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **WHY IS A RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK**

* * *

 _Cheshire's POV_

Anger, it's what I was and how I came to be, I was the embodiment of rage and disgust and hatred; I was the monster in the dark, the shadows stirring in a room, and sweet Lucy was willing to let me play.

Dislocating my thumbs had allowed me to slip off the manacles, it had taken a day or two of planning to realize I could, and Zeref backed away as I stood up and shook off the stiffness in my limbs. "You're fucking insane." The dark haired man was walking backward, toward the cell door, and I giggled before following.

"Glad you finally noticed."

He ran, the coward, and I shrieked in glee before giving chase; he even left the door open, a true gentleman, but I was free and he was _mine_. A scream sounded in front of me and I heard a familiar cackling laugh, the sound calling me, I wasn't as alone as I'd thought it appeared.

 _Erik's POV_

The boat couldn't move fast enough, most of our close friends around us, and everyone's minds were going a mile a minute as they worried and feared. I usually tried to go without prying, to avoid the headache of hearing the thoughts of so many people, but in this instance I had to know where she was. Who had seen her arrive, where they'd taken her, and if she was even still there.

Could I love Artemis or Cheshire? Hell no. I was my own brand of crazy but they were too fucking much.

A hand landed on my shoulder, Mavis, and the girl wore a sad smile. "I'm so sorry." The apology was enough, for now, considering the real secret hidden in those teal eyes. That she'd funded the Balam Ring, to keep the dark haired husband of hers distracted, that she'd helped prevent death sentences of his cronies in order to keep him off her trail.

Angry, true, but she'd done it to save her skin and in the same scenario I imagined I wouldn't be any more noble; I had always been my own God, served my own interests, so what made me any different than her?

"We'll find her. We have to."

Whether we'd find her in one piece was another issue entirely.

 _Halphas' POV_

Leaving Mard behind was easy, sex him up and leave when he was asleep, I wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. True, Mirajane was pretty good about letting me loose from time to time, but I was more than some tool to scare problem customers or thugs away. I was an expert at breaking things, people or buildings didn't matter, destruction was my aphrodisiac.

Seducing a construction worker? Easy, stupidly so actually, and stealing his demolition equipment had been easier still. Planting the explosives had taken a bit of time to figure out but they were remote detonations at least. "Ah, I didn't expect to see you here?" The manic grin wasn't Lucy or Artemis, it had to be the one called Cheshire, and Zeref squirmed in my grip.

"Of course not, love, but I wasn't going to let you take all the fun."

The blond approached, smiling rather fondly, and leaned against my side; Cheshire practically purred as Zeref fumbled for the pockets of his jacket before she pulled his arms behind his back so I had a free shot.

"Stop."

Cheshire turned and glanced at Erik, brow lifted in a challenging manner, but he was no lord of mine. I punched, hard, and watched Zeref gasp in pain before grinning. "Halphas, wait." Elfman sounded torn, his dark blue eyes sad, and I stepped back out of respect. He wasn't as big a baby as he used to be, after all, and he _was_ technically my little brother.

I looked at Laxus and the others as a pale haired girl stepped out past them.

 _Mavis' POV_

Seeing my husband's expression was the first clue that something was wrong, he was _never_ scared, and I watched as the two girls waited for me to speak. "I am Mavis Vermillion-Dragneel, Zeref's runaway wife, and I can tell you there's something very wrong." He was far too proud to show when he was nervous or scared, though I suppose my view was a little messed up since I had been a child when we were married, and as I approached I saw his dark eyes lighten with tears.

"Mavis...welcome home."

He went limp, making Cheshire stumble, and that was all it took for him to rear his head into her jaw and make her stumble away from him snarling. Halphas was quick to grab his collar until the ominous sound of a gun safety turning off echoed in the hall, the barrel pointed right at the silver haired woman's forehead. "Zeref, stop this." He smirked, not taking his eyes off us as he kept the gun pointed while moving out of the range of the girls, his hand held out to me.

"Come, Mavis, or I will shoot."

That made me scoff. "You'll shoot the second I cross the room too." His smirk widened.

I hated that look. "Of course I would, love." Cheshire threw herself at his knees, tackling him, and the shot went wild as the blond wrestled with him.

"Dammit!" Laxus had already crossed the room, with Erik, and Gajeel was quick to haul the blond female away as the two police officers used handcuffs to lock his ankles and wrists in place. "Go away, we need Lucy back." The blond woman stared at Laxus a moment, sneered, and then her expression seemed to darken still.

My hand settled on her wrist. "Cheshire, Lucy is safe with us, I promise." The intensity of those dark eyes was unsettling.

But more unsettling was the sudden shift before brown eyes started to water. "L-lucy doesn't want to be here. I'm Gon-gonzales. Artemis is...gone and Cheshire is really m-mad." The tears fell and I looked over at Erik for something.

The cop looked utterly lost.

 _Erik's POV_

Lucy's mind was a mess, three loud voices crying out in pain and anger, Lucy was mourning the loss of Artemis while Gonzales was trying to protect her now. The embodiment of Lucy's childhood innocence, the little girl that was raped by her own 'Uncle' and suffered in secret, but with Cheshire reverted and Lucy refusing to come forward it had forced this persona out.

"Gonzales, can she hear me?"

Brown eyes turned to me and nodded, looking utterly lost, and I walked over and held her while the world fell away around us. "Lucy, please, we're here for you. You're safe." Cheshire snarled in reply, more like a big cat than a human, and I heard the sound of crying somewhere in her mind.

It was a good thing I was a mind reader, otherwise this would have sucked, and I let my forehead rest against hers. "Artemis wouldn't want you to grieve for her, Lucy, you know that. You have Natsu, Laxus, me, Mira, and all the others; let us protect you, let Gonzales and Cheshire go." The darker personality snarled again, snapping out in feelings rather than words, and Gonzales whimpered in fear.

Fear and hatred, the fear that she'd never be strong enough and the hatred that spawned from that fear, these two personalities were intertwined. _"Erik?"_ It was working, I hoped, and I ignored the low talking around me.

"I'm here, Lucy."

* * *

 **I am aware that happy thoughts and feelings cannot really cure DID, that therapy and counseling are crucial to either resolving it or at least keeping it under a monitored control, but I'd decided form the start that Lucy would at least be one of those rare cases where she interacts with her personalities and remembers what happens when some of them are active.**

 **I'm almost done, holy crap, and I'm working on the last batch of chapters for Raising Dragons. I plan to bulk update that one, since chapters are only 300ish words long.**


	21. Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE BAT**

* * *

 _Lucy's POV_

Fear gripped me, hands clutching the plush kitten to my chest as I stared at the dark hallway before me, but I couldn't find the will to move forward. Not when I _knew_ what I'd find in front of me, when I exited that hallway. But my feet moved, on their own accord, as the thunder and lightning flashed outside and illuminated the windows. "Lucy-chan, why are you awake?" Zoldeo ran a comforting hand through my hair, my body protesting as I tried to flee, and instead it ran to his arms.

"The thunder woke me up."

He made a soft crooning sound. "I'll stay in your room until you fall asleep, Sunshine." He led me back up to the massive bed, closing the door behind him, and the crash of thunder blocked out the sound of him locking the door. But I knew what was happening. _'No! Stop!'_ The child that was me didn't yell these things, she laid down and let him climb into the bed with her.

 _"Lucy, I'm here for you."_

It was Erik's voice, calling me, and I turned to look around. _'Erik?'_ A gentle pressure on my hand made me turn, not seeing anything, and I felt my eyes water as I watched Zoldeo pinning me down. _'Make it stop, make it go away, please.'_ This wasn't normal, when I retreated from control I usually could control what I'd see, something was wrong.

A gentle touch held me. _"I'm trying, you have to find me."_ But I couldn't move, and I felt frozen as I watched this man rape me, I couldn't do anything. _"Lucy, you can! Leave the room, Lucy."_ The firm command was worried, he was scared for me, and I managed to turn to face the door. I raised a hand, to leave, and heard a whimper.

The large black feline with silver stripes was curled around what looked like me as a child, but this one had scars on her face and arms, the feline snarled when I reached for the door again. _'Cheshire? Gonzales? I need to go.'_ The feline stood, toxic green eyes narrowed, and I realized that she didn't want me to find Erik.

It was instinct that made me bolt, running _through_ that door, and I realized that my mind was all sorts of fucked up. _"Understatement of the century, Princess, but we can fix it. Hurry!"_ I was spurred on by his voice, running through a twisted version of Magnolia, and I could hear claws on stone as Cheshire gave chase.

I burst through a door, the door to Fairy Tail, and looked around before heading into the basement; using the back entrance I made way for the diner we'd met at instead. Seeing a tanned form sitting inside, and I dodged the tackle aimed for me as Cheshire lunged and shattered the window, Erik held me close and faced the black and silver feline. _"We're here for her now, she won't suffer again."_ The beast snarled but something was keeping it away and I could see Erik's face tensed.

 _'Ches, I'll be okay.'_

I placed a gentle hand on her head, watching the feline as it looked between myself and Erik, and then she turned. **'Good, you always were a needy little brat.'** The black feline began to vanish, leaving only the silver coils, and then those too faded away.

Gonzales waved, from across the street, and I watched her jump into the arms of a woman that looked like my mother before they vanished too. I turned to look at Erik and realized he was gone too, the window was no longer smashed, and Magnolia wasn't...it looked normal.

I blinked, watching the light sky fade, and blinked again to see Erik's concerned gaze. "You alright, Lucy?" There was something going on around us but I didn't care.

Instead I let him set me down and nodded. "Y-yea, I think I am. You...you left too?" My boyfriend let out a soft snort.

He looked...happy. "Yea, didn't have much of a choice, I used every scrap of my willpower and concentration to save your ass and get rid of Cheshire. No more mind reading." That made me blink, surprised, and then I heard a low groan of pain.

"Uhh, what did Artemis and Cheshire do?"

I had no idea _where_ we were, who most of these people were, and why I was hurting all over.

Erik sighed loudly. "Very long story, go figure _now_ you develop the blackouts associated with DID." I blinked again, turning to look at the others, and frowned again. I recalled talking with Zeref, more accurately it had been Artemis talking with him, but after handing him back a photograph I didn't remember anything.

It was a soft hum from Mirajane that made us turn to look at her. "We might want to vacate...like right now. I, uh, set explosives earlier. I think I tripped the timer." It was hard not to stare at her for a second before we were high tailing it out.

"Jesus fuck, Halphas, what is your deal with explosives?!" Elfman sounded distraught and I could imagine why, though whatever issues or trauma had struck Mirajane still needed to be worked out it appeared, the woman simply shrugged.

It was a little hard not to laugh.

* * *

 _Laxus' POV_

"Mavis, you said that you could shut him down for good?" Erik would have to focus on Lucy, for now, so we had to make sure that things got handled _legally_. While the manhunt was a policy instated by the King of Fiore...it didn't extend to Alvarez, which meant they could imprison her for murder if it came down to it.

Which couldn't happen.

I watched as Mavis nodded, pulling out a tablet PC from her bag, and began clicking a few buttons. "I've been biding my time, gathering as much information as I could, and putting certain people in power. The current King of Alvarez is in my pocket, we've been trying to shut Zeref down from the shadows, but now we've got him where we want him; along with all his financial records and his stash." The little blond woman rolled back onto her heels, looking amused, and turned to look at where Erik held Lucy against him.

"I take it the police are on the way?"

Mavis nodded, when asked, and I couldn't help but feel some relief. "Who _is_ the King?" I watched the smile blossom on her face, one that made me wonder just what she was up to, and her eyes almost twinkled.

"He's an old friend of mine, and your grandfather, named Warrod Cken."

Great-Uncle Warrod was sort of insane but I remembered him, his love for nature was unrivaled, but he was a _good_ man. "So we wait for the police to arrive?" She nodded, which was fine by me, and I watched Gajeel glance over at Lucy and Erik.

"Tch, I can't fuckin' believe we lost Titania because of his scheming."

The pierced man and Erza hadn't always gotten along as friends, they fought far too much, but if you slighted the other they would rise up like wildfire to ruin you. I wasn't surprised he was mourning her now, knowing that the reason Zeref had done all of _this_ was to find his runaway child-bride.

The fact that he was trying to punish Lucy for her parents choosing to smuggle Mavis to safety proved that there was something wrong with him. "I'm done with fuckin' crazy people, you too Mira, too much fuckin' drama." I earned a middle finger for that, which was fine by me, and Elfman scowled.

The massive man looked annoyed. "Nee-chan's been goin' to her counseling, once all this is done she'll be fine, you butt out Dreyar." It wasn't every day the man talked back, having a good respect for authority, but where his siblings were concerned he would fight the world.

"We're all a little crazy, Chief."

That came from Gray, who had refused to be left behind, and I nodded in agreement.

I heard Lucy stir and watched her get set down, she looked lost, and her question confirmed as much. Though I was wondering what Erik had done, I could just ask him later.

"Explosives? Ankhseram above, woman!"

Halphas' little statement was enough to make me evacuate, and make Mavis report to the arriving officers about the explosives, hopefully Warrod was more forgiving than usual with his old age because if she did blow the building the evidence was _gone_.

* * *

 _Erik's POV_

The arriving police had brought a SWAT team, with explosives experts, and conducted a raid on the building while the rest of us were hauled up in various vehicles to head to the throne room directly. I glanced at the vehicle headed for the hospital, only Lucy was within, and prayed for a speedy recovery. "Eh, Lucy'll be fine, stop worrying Erik." Gajeel sounded completely comfortable in his statement, not seeming to recall that she _had_ killed someone on Alvarez soil, but I decided to let the matter drop.

Instead I had to focus on the fact that the Five Dragon Guard was no longer employed by Mavis and would be returning to their kids, which included Wendy, now we had to deal with the fallout. Gajeel had taken Ryos in, Natsu had taken Sting in, and Wendy was now Lucy's. Would Grandeeny ask for her daughter back? The other four were easy situations, Igneel and Weisslogia were friends after all and more than happy to treat the boys as brothers while Metalicana and Skiadrum felt the same.

Of all the people Lucy loved it would always be Wendy first, hands down, so I couldn't help but worry that the pink haired woman would try and take her away. A firm hand on my arm brought my attention to Laxus. "We'll make it work, I promise." I nodded, wondering how everyone could so easily read me, had everyone else become mind readers when I lost my ability or was I just that damn transparent?

There was quiet, at least, as we finished the ride to the palace where King Warrod Cken would be waiting for us.

One of the original founders of Fairy Tail, at that, and I could only hope his loyalty to Mavis ran strong.

* * *

 **Slightly longer than the last two chapters, in order to try and close up any loose ties, but the next few chapters will be much happier than what I've given you leading up to this point.**


	22. Move Along

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **MOVE ALONG**

* * *

The throne room was silent as the King and his Council entered, looking over those assembled before them, and the Fioran citizens bowed to the man on the throne. "Ah, none of that, come now. I'm glad to see you in good health, Mavis, though you certainly haven't grown much." At the way her teal eyes darkened he broke into laughter. "I'm joking, I'm joking, we're here for something far more serious." The whimsical way he greeted them caved, revealing a wizened and stern expression, all of the assembled people stiffened slightly.

The man stood up and walked down the stairs to talk at a normal volume. "I want to know how it is that I've been trying to find Zeref for years, since Mavis contacted me from her safe house, and it took you less than two days." He was questioning the competency of his army and police force, it appeared, and Erik cleared his throat and bowed.

The tanned skin man was given the nod to speak. "It was that he was targeting Lucy Heartfilia, she sailed here and his men brought her to the warehouse, and I used to be able to read minds and was able to track where they went by doing so." Erik earned a considering look and the King let out a deep chuckle.

"I've heard of you, Erik, but I heard you were called Cobra. Maky told me about you, victims to the Balam Ring that Mavis began in an attempt to give something else to occupy her husband's attention, you were abused and mistreated and lied to most of your childhood." As Laxus shifted to speak up the man rounded on him, frowning, and then broke into a smile.

"Maky's dear grandson, I'm not surprised you're the Chief, it's been many years Laxus. You _have_ grown, though." Mavis scowled and Warrod laughed, unable to help himself, before it faded to a bitter chuckle.

Laxus cleared his throat. "I've got a list of all his followers that we've encountered, who is alive and who is not, as well as records of our fallen." Warrod nodded and sighed gently.

"Zeref was my responsibility, as a King of Alvarez, and I failed in stopping him. I will not imprison you for doing what is right, but I won't make a mistake again, I sentence Zeref to death by Injection." The handcuffed man was carried out of the room, already disarmed, and Mavis' teal eyes were sad as she watched him.

"Please, do an old man a favor and just leave. There's more on the political end to handle but I will discuss it with King Toma."

He was lost in his failures, lost to the deaths that his leniency had caused, and the group were escorted out to the vehicles that would take them to the hospital.

"We have to release a total report to the public, you know, we can't tell them the manhunt is over and _not_ give any details." Lucy ignored Erik and Laxus speaking over her, she was too busy writing, but her ribs protested when she reached for her water; the bottle slid into her vision, Erik wasn't even looking at her, and she accepted it before considering the piece.

Laxus sighed. "I _know_ Erik, trust me, but things have been utterly chaotic with the aftermath and I don't have the time." They had returned to Fiore to find more fallen, Seilah had died to try and protect Tobias, and Lisanna had nearly died taking a beating for the now comatose man.

Lucy hummed. "I'm working on it, Laxus, and Jason said he would publish it." The Fiore Central was the most important newspaper in the country and Jason was the editor now that he'd left Magnolia Weekly, he'd heard of what was going on and had come to her personally for the chance to be the first publisher of the whole story.

Erik frowned. "Oh, okay, do you need any help?" He had wondered what she did when he was on patrol, though he didn't have to worry about her being alone between Grandine and Wendy as a constant presence, and the blond smiled at him.

"No, I've got it."

He nodded and looked over at Laxus. "Well then, never mind, do _you_ need any help with paper work?" The blond nodded, looking ready to faint, and Lucy giggled.

Her brown eyes shimmered. "Not surprising, you two should go wok on it now while everyone else is on patrol. Especially since Natsu is back on traffic duty." The pink haired cop had recovered, and forgiven his father, but instead of losing his job he was in charge of parking meters. It was pretty funny since people had no problem yelling at him when he ticketed them and all he had to do was take it, though Lucy did feel a tiny bit bad when people would laugh at his little police buggy.

"Alright, we get it, tell me if you need anything." Erik kissed her, smiling when Laxus left the room, and let her take his hands. "I'll bring home strawberry shortcake." That earned a nod and he followed Laxus out to the patrol car after waving to Grandine in the kitchen, Wendy was staying over at Chelia's house to help her with physical therapy so the bodyguard wouldn't leave unless it was an emergency.

Lucy stared at her screen, unable to continue writing, and watched her cursor blink. In the times of silence, when things were calm and settled, she was _used_ to the babble between Artemis and Cheshire; or even the soft singing of Gonzales. For that to be gone was new, a little frightening to her, and she turned on music to get rid of the quiet.

"I never thought I'd miss being crazy."

The words hung in the air, waiting for a reply, and there was a soft chuckle at the door. Mavis waved, sitting at the foot of the bed, and Lucy watched her cousin as the girl hugged her knees close. "You weren't crazy, you were one of the rare cases that was mostly in control of your various identities, but I bet it's too quiet now." Lucy nodded and Mavis smiled softly.

"Are you sleeping any better? Or at all, really? I know they diagnosed you with insomnia due to PTSD but your therapy seems to have helped a little." The more petite of the two nodded, the dark circles under her eyes looking better than usual, the Five Dragon Guard had been angry when she admitted to using make-up to hide her lack of sleep from them.

Mavis began rocking slightly. "I am, now that I have sleep aids, and since the pills are to just knock me out I don't have nightmares." Lucy nodded, understanding her cousin's fears, even with Zeref dead he certainly had left his mark on _all_ of them.

"How's Lisanna?"

The girl had collapsed at work, worrying Elfman and Mira to pieces, and Lucy noticed Mavis looked horribly amused. "Pregnant, her and Natsu are an item, first try too." That made the curvy blond giggle, imagining the beat down Elfman had given the pink haired cop, and with Mavis keeping her company Lucy found herself writing again.

* * *

 ** _Citizens of Magnolia_**

 _It is my honor and burden to report to you that the Manhunt Order is over, the criminals being hunted have been captured or killed at last. The main perpetrator, Zeref Dragneel, was executed by the order of King Warrod Cken of the Alvarez Kingdom on Tuesday the 7th of July._

 _I regret to inform you that the following have fallen in the fight._

 _Erza Scarlet (24)_

 _Jellal Fernandez (25)_

 _Aislinn Fernanadez (Unborn)_

 _Kyouka Winters (27)_

 _Seilah Harding (29)_

 _Tobias Citharius (30)_

 _All families and friends have arranged a large picnic in Magnolia Park to wish their loved ones on to the next life, it is an open invitation event._

 _After speaking with Chiefs Dreyar, Mikazuchi, Orlando, Neekis, and Kotobuki they have confirmed that all of his presence in Ishgal and Fiore is gone at last._

 _Are people born wicked? Or is wickedness thrust upon them?_

 _While he will always be known for his acts leading up to the manhunt, and for his death, I have discovered after some research into his past that Zeref himself was a victim of the foster care system in the Southernmost city of Alvarez. Separated from his brother, abused and neglected, and while this is no excuse for what he did one would imagine that he wouldn't want others to suffer as he had._

 _Further research wielded the answer, an untreated diagnosis of sociopathic tendencies combined with extreme depression, a little boy who never got help for his mental illnesses. But even that cannot pardon him for the countless children he has inadvertently tortured or killed, for the overdoses caused by his drug production, or from the many lives he has torn apart by not seeking help on his own._

 _His wife, Mavis Vermillion-Dragneel, was a child bride purchased from the nobleman Reynard Vermillion who had just been discovered to be assaulting female guests; Mavis has told me of her time with Zeref. In the beginning he had been kind, patient even, and she had not learned the terrors of his real self, he treated her like a Princess and she believed him to be kind. However she was ten when he first laid with her, angry when her first pregnancy miscarried, and began treating her more like a slave than a wife. Mavis fled Alvarez, with the help of Jude and Layla Heartfilia, and it has been confirmed that Zeref had an assassin poison the Heartfilia woman for aiding in his wife's escape._

 _The actions committed against Fiore will not be forgotten, nor can they be forgiven, but know that all Districts as well as the General of the Royal Army have ended the Manhunt Order in place. If you, or a loved one, is suffering from this attack please do not hesitate to contact Fairy Tail where a support group has been created for families or those suffering from mental illness or even the backlash caused._

 _-Lucy Heartfilia_

* * *

Brown eyes softened, watching from the window as Wendy ran to join Sting and Rogue to walk to school with Romeo leaving his own house across the street, Lucy grunted as she used the crutches by the wall to stand and maneuver down the stairs. "Headed off to work?" Grandine handed Lucy a packed lunch, the bodyguard had become happily retired to live with her daughter, and the blond nodded.

"Yes, Fairy Tail has been so busy since the article was published two months ago." Lucy slipped on flats, since she couldn't risk heels yet, and grinned when she heard the knock on the door. Lisanna waved, short hair done up in tiny tails, her blue eyes clear; Happy waved, from the driver's seat of the bus, and the two girls boarded the big vehicle.

Natsu's arrangement for Happy to have a stop at Lucy's house and at Fairy Tail had been oddly touching, though much better than chancing him trying to drive them in the buggy, and as the two talked about Lisanna's growing belly Lucy noticed the looks of surprise from some of the other passengers. "Miss Heartfilia?" The woman blinked, looking at the blue haired woman, and she realized that she _knew_ her.

"Aquarius?"

The woman smirked. "The one and only, you little brat, I came to find you. I wanted to give you something, your mother left it with me when she passed." Lucy blinked, accepting the book, and noticed there was a letter too. "Oberon, at the Observatory, is a family friend. Most of us who work there are, Wendy stopped by some time ago and purchased you a star, make sure you come by." That made Lucy nod, waving as Aquarius climbed off at the next stop, and Lisanna smiled as Lucy opened the letter first.

 _Dear Lucy Heartfilia,_

 _My old friend, you won't remember me but I was there when you were born, my name is Oberon and your mother worked alongside me as an Astrologist for many years before she met your father. All of her friends are here, at the Magnolian Observatory, and we'd be honored to meet you as a young lady rather than the child we remember. Please come visit, I've enclosed a gift of my own as a means to assist Fairy Tail since you've been doing counseling at no charge to your clients or customers._

 _-Oberon_

The check was for a _lot_ of money, which Lucy could hardly believe, and the blond felt her smile brighten. It appeared she _would_ have to go visit. "We're here, Lucy." The blond nodded, hobbling off the bus, and as she entered the building she waved to the various customers and clients or families of clients. Toma E Fiore had named Fairy Tail as a certified therapy building and allowed Lucy and Mirajane to work with Porlyusica to help the people of his nation, being that they had been diagnosed with DID for so long, and since Lucy couldn't serve customers she had her own office.

There was still losses that Lucy mourned, and secrets she'd revealed such as Erza being pregnant at her death, but she knew that slowly they would all recover.

"Hello Juvia, thank you for coming to seek help."

The blue haired client nodded. "Juvia wants...to be brave like Lucy-san." The blond smiled reassuringly at the young woman whom Lyon had recommended to them.

Getting help, or even asking for help, was always the first step. "You are, Juvia, you went to Lyon for help right? The first step is always admitting you have a problem, yes, but the first step to recovery to me is getting the support you need." The girl nodded and Lucy handed her a cup of steaming cocoa.

"Tell me about yourself, Juvia, anything you want to tell me."

The girl blushed and nodded, making Lucy feel quite content, helping other people was stressful but it was rewarding.

* * *

 **I changed up the POV on ya! Ha ha, sorry couldn't help it. I like the style of writing I did for Clean Slate but I wanted to take a break from it because I'm not exactly the best at getting into the heads of the characters.**

 **I've got two more chapters and an epilogue to go and Clean Slate will be officially completed, it's kind of surreal actually, this will be the very first chapter story that isn't dedicated to a particular ship week that I finish.**

 **Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews; truly, it's been amazing. Look for updates on Raising Dragons as well, they're coming in bulk very shortly.**


	23. Deer in the Headlights

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS**

* * *

The station was quiet, with most of the officers on patrol, and the blond chief scanned the reports again as he looked at the recruits from the Fiore Army Academy that were taking their initial training to serve as Officers. It was a way to add to the District Forces _and_ the Royal Army, allowing the soldiers to serve the people before being sent to bases around the country, the blond was quite sad that he even had to consider replacing Erza.

His eyes scanned countless photographs, not eally seeing any of them, until he blinked when a head of crimson hair stopped him; short cut, no nonsense too, with the same violet eyes. "What the...this can't be happening." Ezra Belserion Knightwalker, orphan from Rosemary Village, and Laxus imagined that if he ran a blood test it would come back that they were sisters.

 _"I had a twin sister, our parents thought they were cute named us Erza and Ezra I think, but when the kidnappings happened I locked her in the small cellar under the carpet to keep her safe."_

Laxus ran a hand through his hair and imagined the chaos if he drafted her, he didn't want people seeing her as Erza, but he missed having a fiery red-headed Second in Command. "Oi, Spark Plug, someone is here to see you." Erik grabbed his jacket as he went to leave, the blond nodded, and Erik left just as the tall man with the eye-patch entered the room.

"Precht Gaebolg, to what do I owe this honor?"

The man was old but clearly in good shape still, his single dark eye studying Laxus, and the man set down a wooden box. "I'm surprised, you haven't done half the things I imagined you would once everything settled down, Laxus...you're a lot like Makarov." The blond man folded his arms on the desk surface, waiting, and the small box was opened.

The pin that sat inside was silver, a lightning bolt shaped stone set in the intricate silver base, and the Dreyar man knew this family heirloom as well as he knew his own name. "Why do you have my grandfather's badge?" The intricate jewel had gone missing when his grandfather had died, the one thing his father had tried to take, and Precht sighed softly.

"Your grandfather was my successor as Chief of Police, this pin was made for _his_ father Yury who happened to be a good friend of mine, I made this pin for a friend and he treasured it enough to pass it on."

Laxus brows lifted, he hadn't known that, it made him wonder just how old Precht even was. Or how young a parent his great-grandfather and grandfather had been, he never had thought of that before. "But you went rogue, you became a criminal." Precht handed the blond a letter.

 _Precht,_

 _I understand why you made your choice, and I apologize for what I must do, in order to protect you I will have to put you in prison. I'm dying, the cancer is spreading and my risk of recovery is too low, but try to protect my grandson Laxus from within prison as best you can. He's stubborn, his father has rubbed off on him in a bad way, but I know he'll come to see his wrongdoings and succeed where we both failed. I've hidden your gift to my family, where Faeries hide, plesae give it to Laxus when you are able._

 _Thank you for being a teacher, a friend, an Uncle, and making the sacrifice you are for the good of Fiore._

 _-Makarov Dreyar_

"Undercover, you were trying to protect us from inside the Balam Circle. You were the informant."

Laxus looked at the man across from him, visibly surprised, and Precht nodded. "Indeed, Laxus, I was. I'm dying now, I can feel it in my bones, the most recent visit to Porlyusica confirmed that my organs are beginning to shut down. I've tried to maneuver and give anonymous tips to make sure all of Zeref's forces were brought down and I can go knowing that I protected my precious great-nephew and my brother's family." Laxus looked at the man across from him and smiled.

"Thank you. How about one last brandy?"

* * *

Flare Corona hummed, braiding her hair and throwing it behind her, the black dress was form fitting and knee length while her bolero jacket was a pretty silver. "You look good, Flare, he is gonna' love it." Lucy had met the redhead when she was looking for a new hairdresser, learning that Flare had feelings for Laxus, and the redhead had managed to get him to agree to come out for a dinner date.

As the knock sounded below Lucy watched Flare turn crimson, like her hair, before sliding on her ankle boots and running down the stairs. The blond was still in crutches, they'd done some major damage to her leg muscles and physical therapy was helping at least, so Lucy figured she would get a ton of pictures from Evergreen since the woman worked at the restaurant the couple was headed to.

Wendy hummed from the small cushion on the bay window ledge. "I'm glad that Laxus is finally opening up, though I wonder if he knows..." Lucy giggled and shook her head, having met a very pretty redhead in town that had come by recommendation of the King himself, Ezra Knightwalker was determined to join the Magnolia District Forces and protect the people her sister had loved so she'd come to talk to the man directly.

Natsu had been with them, calling her Erza on accident, and after hearing how she was raised by the royal army they had happily befriended the young woman and told her about the misadventures of her sister.

Wendy blinked, looking at something outside, and Lucy ambled over to look too; Flare had laid a kiss right on Laxus, pulling him down to her height and everything, it was cute. The girls snapped a photo each, since nobody would believe them otherwise, and the blond woman grinned as the duo got into the black vehicle and raced off. No doubt Laxus was embarrassed. "How cute, we know who's in charge of that pair." Wendy nodded, laughing, and thought of the fledgling relationship she'd started with Ryos.

Lucy had said it was okay, and made Ryos promise not to break her heart, but the boy was supposed to come get her tomorrow for her own date. "lucy, can Ryos and I go un-chaperoned?" The blond looked at Wendy and smiled before nodding, the girl was almost fourteen so Lucy wasn't going to baby her anymore, and then texted Erik to tell him not to tail the duo.

Which meant she could have some alone time with her boyfriend, really, and Lucy was glad he still had his own place for now.

* * *

Gajeel stepped back, surprised, as he stared at his girlfriend; Levy was blushing red, though she looked nervous, and he felt his hands begin to shake. "R-really?" At her nod he scooped her up into a tight hug.

Metalicana was the first one he called. _"What's up Gajeel?"_ The gray haired man and his son were slowly reconnecting, since he'd been gone for a large portion of the boy's life, and he hadn't expected a phone call.

Gajeel grinned as Levy held his arm. "Dad...you're gonna be a grandfather. Levy's pregnant." There was a brief silence and Gajeel heard a sharp breath followed by a muffled sound, his Dad was one of the tough guys who never wanted anyone to see him cry after all, and the officer knew Levy was running off to tell Lucy and Lisanna.

 _"Thank you for telling me, Gaj, did you two need any help with anything?"_ The man was also horrible with spoiling kids rotten and Gajeel chuckled.

"I've got a list of baby supplies we'll need, and we have to prep a room to be the nursery, why don't you just come over? Plus, I gotta find a good ring for Levy." The last sentence was spoken softer, earning a chuckle on the other end, and Gajeel smiled when he heard that sound.

 _"Of course, I'll be over in ten minutes."_

Levy's squealing from the other room was adorable, at least, and he could only imagine Ryos' reaction to being an Uncle.

* * *

The flowers, white gown, and girls were all picture perfect as Mirajane Strauss exchange vows and became the Mrs. Mirajane Geer officially. The woman's DID had gotten better, though it wasn't gone, and with Mard's support as well as therapy sessions with Lucy and Porlyusica the woman rarely had episodes anymore.

Elfman let out an unmanly sob, crying on his girlfriend's shoulder, and Erik watched the way some of the men studied the lawyer. Mard had pulled through majorly in dealing with the legalities of the whole Zeref fiasco, it had been numerous sleepless nights and arguments with his girlfriend to make sure things were fully handled, and he deserved this happy ending just as much as anyone else did.

Lucy had served as his 'Best Woman' and worn a tailored suit dress that made her look stunning, Mirajane had Lisanna as her Maid of Honor of course, and the Flower Girl was Wendy while Ryos had been the Ring Bearer. "Erik, you okay?" Sorano leaned on the railing beside him, her and Gray were nowhere close to being committed to each other but she'd been letting the man in more each day, and Erik leaned against her shoulder.

"Yea, Feathers, I'm okay."

The lift of her brow challenged him on that. "It's quiet, I bet, since you don't ever have any thoughts of your own." He glared at her playful smirk and then hummed.

"Somethin' like that, though I don't need to be a mind reader to know that promise ring is new." The blush that took over her face made him smirk, though it was more of a fond look, and Erik placed his hand over hers. "Congrats, Feathers, for finally findin' someone crazy enough to deal with ya." The woman huffed.

Her eyes zeroed in on his front pocket. "You too, Bleach Breath." With that she sauntered off to where Gray was waiting for her, the man's arm going around Sorano's waist, and Erik noticed that Meredy was leaning into Midnight's arms somewhere across the hall. Ezra was here, talking in a quiet voice with Jackal, while Natsu was tending to his pregnant girlfriend.

Mirajane looked at him, winking, and he groaned slightly. "Alright girls, bouquet time." Everyone except Lucy was in on the plan, they all crowded with Lucy in front, and the blond shot him a glare since he'd said she had to participate.

As the newlywed woman prepared to throw over her head she pivoted fast, doing a fast pass to Lucy, and Erik walked over as the others cleared out. He hadn't wanted to do this at Mira's wedding, he felt it was rude to take anything from the bride and groom, but the pair had _insisted_. Lucy turned, looking confused, and froze in place.

"Hey blondie, marry me."

Romance like that wasn't his style, he only got all sappy after sex, and Lucy giggled. "Why not? I think I'd like being Lucy Cassava. It's about time." He slipped her ring on, watching her look at it, and then kissed her.

The girls crowded, to see the ring, and then the music began to grow louder and drinks began to pour. "To a bright future!" Mirajane cried out happily.

"To good friends!" The cry from Levy was just as loud.

"Big families!" Lisanna giggled out as Natsu leaned against her.

"To Magnolia, and Fairy Tail, and Lucy for bringing everyone back together." Laxus' booming voice sounded, firm and final, and Erik knew his little woman was as red as a rose in embarrassment.

They all drank, the pregnant women drinking sparkling cider, and Mard pulled Lucy aside so they could talk in quiet about something.

* * *

 **Precht was a good guy the whole time?! WHAT? No really, he was, he's the reason the manhunt went so smoothly...mostly.**


	24. Domino

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **DOMINO**

* * *

It seemed to become normal for Kardia Cathedral to be decked out for a wedding at least once a month, especially after the blow-up Mirajane had when Laxus admitted to marrying Flare in secret with only Lucy and Erik as their witnesses. Erik sighed, the white suit he'd purchased for today wasn't at all him but it was worth it really, he wished that Mira and Ezra would cut him a break though. His hair had been chopped, no longer long and thick, with only a few fringes long enough to drape over his forehead.

Gajeel stood near the door as Erik finished doing his purple tie, Laxus was perched on a chair and Natsu was fumbling with his own tie, the men all seemed to be waiting for him to say something. "You gonna' do that tradition? Something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new?" Erik blinked at them and hummed.

"Apparently Lucy's wedding gown is a family heirloom, counting the old, and my bandana matches the blue on her bouquet for that." Laxus smiled at Gajeel and the two each procured a box, one had 'borrowed' printed on it while the other had 'new' on it. Erik accepted the smaller one first since it was the borrowed, the cufflinks from Laxus' wedding reflected light and Erik nodded once since Lucy would remember them.

The new gift, however, had Erik's eye darkening slightly. A tie clip shaped like a hollow star that had his and Lucy's name engraved on a side each, he knew Gaj had done metal work before but not anything as creative as this, and Erik made sure to keep it in view as he clipped the metal piece on and then the cufflinks.

"Thanks, guys."

They each clapped him on the shoulder, following him out after he slipped his jacket on, and waited near the head of the church.

* * *

The blond stared at her reflection, she'd forgotten just how much she looked like her mother, and even with the hairstyle she felt like she had recreated her mother's wedding photo. "Lu-chan?" Levy watched the blond as she looked at her reflection, clearly not the happiest, and the blond looked at Flare.

"It looks nice...but I look just like my mother. I want this to be _my_ wedding photo." The redhead smiled, undoing the clip holding the curls in place, and let the waterfall of loose curls down before brushing Lucy's bangs to the side. Lucy blinked, the change was amazing, and she felt...happy. "Thanks, Flare." The redhead grinned, most of the girls had worn their hair up in intricate styles for their ceremonies, and the bridesmaids moved to take their places as Lucy slipped on her little birdcage veil.

"It's beautiful, Lucy." The knee length dress was a true fifties style gown with the tulle lined skirt in an A-Line shape, the bodice clung tightly to her frame in a corset style and the lace bolero allowed the diamond jewelry set to shine visibly. Lucy grabbed her bouquet of forget-me-nots, glancing at her shoes, and smiled; the white wedges looked like sneakers.

As she stepped up to the door she glanced at Aquarius, the blue haired woman had insisted she be the one to give Lucy away, and the blond looped an arm in the woman's. "I'm happy for you, and you look just as radiant as Layla did." The two fell quiet as they waited for the knock on the door, to signify their exit of the side room, and Lucy felt her eyes watering.

"Would she...would they be proud? You think?"

Aquarius was quiet. "No, Layla was raised to be a Lady and your father was insistent on you being like a porcelain doll, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be happy for you finding your own way." Lucy nodded, having learned more about her parents since meeting Oberon and the others, more about how her mother really was, and Lucy felt happy that her mother had at least been kind to her so she had _good_ memories .

Oberon knocked on the door and the two stepped out.

* * *

Since it was Lucy she supposed she _should_ have expected something of a disaster to happen on her wedding, her luck was pretty terrible despite her nickname, and she could only stare as Gajeel rushed Levy out of the church. "Go figure Gaj's kid would be a show stealer." Laxus' comment brought laughter and the ceremony continued even as Iggy cried in Mira's arms since he wanted his mother, Lisanna stepped away from the other bridesmaids to sooth her son and Lucy smiled as she exchanged vows with Erik.

"It's not perfect but...it's ours."

Lucy nodded, she'd confessed her fears about simply recreating her mother's wedding after his hair was chopped off but he'd promised that he wouldn't let that happen. Their vows were custom written, their friends weren't witnessing a business transaction, and Lucy's best friend was going to the hospital because her water had broke in the church.

"Yea, it is."

They shared a smile and after she was named Mrs. Lucy Cassava the blond drew her husband into a heated kiss, making people hoot and holler, before they were practically dragged out to head to the hospital and wait for the kids to be born.

"Erza Redfox and Licca Redfox." The two girls had Levy's blue hair and Gajeel's red eyes, perfect little twins, and Ezra smiled at the blue haired mother while nodding.

"Erza indeed." The woman agreed, making the surprise fade to happiness, and Lucy made sure to take a bunch of selfies with the babies and Levy while in her wedding dress. The hospital staff kicked them out, after an hour, for noise complaints of course; it just meant they had to head back to Fairy Tail to celebrate.

Sorano held her son close, her and Gray weren't married but they'd moved in together, the boy gurgled and reached for the twins. "Jellal Fullbuster, you stop that." His blue eyes were wide, his lower lip trembling, and she poked him on the nose.

"When you're older you can chase after Erza, playboy." Gray rubbed his head and the boy settled, still pouting, and Sorano huffed gently. It had been Gray's idea to name him for the older man and it appeared the name was quite accurate indeed.

"Hey, Sora, let's go get married."

The woman blinked, surprise fading to happiness, and nodded. "Sure."

They snuck away, grabbing Meredy and Midnight, and Sorano waved to Erik as he held Lucy close.

* * *

"Weddings, kids, and chaos. That is what my life has become." Lucy slipped out of her dress, after Erik undid the lacing, and her husband chuckled as he massaged her shoulders. This had been Meredy's wedding, this time, and Juvia's wedding was the next week.

The man had let his hair grow out, the somewhat long length earned appreciative looks from his wife, but for Meredy's wedding he'd at least pulled it into a ponytail. "Everyone's finding their happiness, that's all, I'm just amazed that there aren't more kids running around. Though I suppose Mira might've castrated Gray for sneaking away with Sora for their wedding." The blond laughed, leaning into his touch as he worked the knots out of her back, and Erik noticed that she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Erik I'm pregnant."

He froze, staring at her back, and she turned to face him. "W-wha...when did you find out?" Lucy's smile was soft, she was still nervous, they hadn't exactly prepped for kids.

"Today, when I went to see Porlyusica."

Lucy had therapy still, for coping with her trauma as a kid, and she confessed that she'd thrown up on the woman. "Of course you did. I'll send her an apology gift." He ordered a basket of fruits from the grocery store with a bouquet of flowers, all her favorites, and paid over the phone so it was packed and delivered promptly.

He looked at the house they were in, _their_ house, and knew he'd have to start on the nursery soon. "Any hopes on a boy or girl?" The blond smiled.

"Doesn't matter, as long as they're healthy and look like you."

Lucy had wanted to break the 'brown-eyed blond' trend in her family, especially after her near mirror of her mother's wedding photo, and Erik didn't mind. "Yea, I am pretty damn cute." He winked, earning a playful smile, and Lucy yawned wide.

"When are we telling everyone?"

Lucy grinned. "We're not, let's wait for them to figure it out." Erik was reminded then why he loved her, she enjoyed making people sweat.

* * *

They got through Juvia's wedding, Sherry's wedding, and Ezra's wedding before anyone caught on that they were hiding something from them. Wendy had learned, as had Grandine, the day after Lucy told Erik; Aquarius and the others had been told as well but that was because the family friends insisted on helping with the nursery when they visited and Erik was painting it.

"You're different."

Iggy, Erza, Licca, and Jellal were in the playpen toddling around as the girls talked; Mira was sporting her own baby bump and Ever was too, the duo had gotten a little competitive over who would have the cuter kids. Nobody wanted to say it outright but they were betting on it behind the women's backs, a means of entertainment of course, and Lucy leveled Lisanna with a raised brow and feigned confusion.

Thank you acting lessons.

Levy blinked. "I don't think so, I mean she's chubbier but she _is_ eating more sugary stuff than ever." The teasing blow earned Lucy sticking her tongue out at Levy, who waved back, and Ezra hummed.

"You're pregnant."

The accusation hung with tension, the girls staring at Lucy, and when she didn't deny the statement Mira's eyes grew wide and she squealed. The customers looked over at them, confused, and Levy threw her hands into the air. "You're going to have a baby?! At last! Congratulations, Lu-chan!" People cheered, making Lucy grin, and she grabbed the tray with drinks for table 7.

"Yep, and she'll be the best."

A wink to Mira and Lucy hightailed it away from the bar, earning laughter from the others as Mira's smile became a smirk.

Levy knew Lucy was going to win the cutest baby contest hands down, the Heartfilia genes were insanely good looking genes after all and then combined with Erik? She hoped they had a son, secretly, so he'd marry Licca.

* * *

"Everyone has dibs on our child to marry theirs."

Erik watched Lucy giggle, the dudes at the station had _all_ insisted their child marry one of their kids, and the blond curled on her side with a hand resting on her belly. "The girls feel the same way." He imagined they did, after all he and Lucy were going to have one gorgeous baby.

"I found out the gender today."

He blinked, looking down at her, and smiled as she shuffled so she was laying against his chest and his hands could touch her swollen body. "What are we havin' Lucy?" The blond giggled when his touch grew lighter, when she didn't respond initially.

"A girl, Erik. We get our little Eos."

Erik had painted the nursery a silver gray color with a black carpet, keeping it neutral, so now he knew he would grab the wall border that was white with burgundy and lavender flowers before doing a lattice painted pattern from the border to the bottom of the wall. Capricorn had agreed to paint brambles, thorns, and flowers that weaved through the lattice work if it was a girl.

"So that means we get the burgundy crib set, gray and black pillows, and a lavender rocking chair." The colors were a combination of their favorites, at least, and the only pale pink would be the stuffed cat that Lucy had made.

"Sure, we can do that tomorrow."

He held her, as she drifted off to sleep, and smiled fondly at her calm face. "To think it all started with an interview we both thought was bullshit."

* * *

 **That's the official end of the story, the final chapter of Clean Slate, but there WILL be an epilogue too.**


	25. My Happy Ending

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima**

 **MY HAPPY ENDING**

* * *

Being fifteen, as well as a terrible mixture of curious and intelligent, Eos Cassava decided that since her parents wouldn't tell her about their families that she'd look it up herself. Now, though, she wished she hadn't; reading the articles on her grandmother's death and then her grandfather's suicide made her realize why her mother treasured family so much.

Then she was directed to links and articles about some criminal named Zeref, making her normal tan skin pale further, and she closed out of the internet browser before glancing over at Erza and Jellal who were doing the math homework. "Guys, did your parents tell you about this Zeref dude?" The pair shook their heads.

"Who?"

Eos quickly explained it, showing them proof via her laptop screen, and the kids decided they had to ask. They _were_ fifteen, after all, and Eos could at least cite a family history project before noticing Erza and Jellal's parents mentioned in the article.

Jellal sighed. "If my mom gets mad at me I'm blaming you." The boy was basically her cousin, even if they weren't really related, but Eos and him didn't always get along.

It made her wrinkle her nose. "Fine, let's go." The library was closest to Eos' house, she knew her mom would be home by now with Artemis, and as they entered the home she spied her father's coat on the door hook.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home. Erza, Jellal, and I are doing homework together."

As they entered the dining room she saw her dad filling out a crossword puzzle. "Oh, we learned that today, that answer is Oedipus." The man pinched her side, playfully, and Eos sat beside him at the table as her friends took other seats.

"Welcome home, how was school?" Having a cop for a father basically ruined any chances of sneaking out, causing mischief, or getting a date; but Eos Cassava was a daddy's girl.

"It was good, we have a family history assignment though, I uh...found some interesting articles when I looked up Mama." Eos noticed her father's jaw tense, a sign that he was biting back some curse, and her little sister sat down at the table.

Artemis was a carbon copy of their mother, Eos was a female version of her dad, but neither one really felt any sort of way about it. In fact Artemis wasn't quite as innocent as her mother liked to believe, the pigtail sporting blond had a habit of breaking hearts in her Middle School, Eos only knew since Erza's little brother Galen had a crush on her and basically followed her around.

"I see, I suppose you have a lot of questions." Lucy Cassava was still gorgeous, Eos wanted to be as curvy as her mother had been, but she was also smarter than a lot of people gave her credit for.

Eos nodded and watched as her parents looked at each other. "We might as well explain it as a group, they'll all figure it out eventually." Erik hummed, a sound of agreement, and seemed to be sending some kind of mass text.

"Explain what?"

Jellal had the gist of things from the news article but now he was curious that it was being treated as a big issue.

"Just a crazy story, Jellal, but it's sad and painful through most of it."

Erza hummed, knowing that she'd been named after a friend of her mother's who had died, and the group of kids heard the incoming beeping of Erik's cell. He seemed to be counting the number of replies before picking up his phone to scroll through the answers.

"Come on, we're headed to Fairy Tail, bring your homework. Lucy, do you want to head over on your own?" The blond nodded, since she was waiting for Virgo to show up first, and as the group left the house Lucy smiled at the sound of Eos asking her father to drive the cruiser.

The blond looked at the photographs on the walls of the dining room, stopping on the picture of her parents, and then on the one of her with Wendy.

The laptop on the table was opened and she clicked into a Word Document.

 _Dear Mama,_

 _It's been a long time since I've written you, hasn't it, and I'm sorry for that. Before I tell you everything I just want you to know that I'm finally able to sleep without nightmares, I don't hate myself anymore for letting Zoldeo touch me as a kid...and I'm sorry I never told you._

 _It started seventeen years ago, when I worked for Magnolia Weekly, I got assigned to interview a supposed "police psychic" named Erik Cassava. Who'd have thought he would end up marrying me? I certainly didn't._

 _Nor did I think I'd go on the strangest, most sad, scary, and painful journey of my life. But I don't regret it, any of it, you know. I'm not perfect, I never will be, but I've got my family and friends to help me where I falter. I hope that's what you wanted me to find, when you told me to to find my Light again, Mama._

 _I miss you._

 _So where was I? Right, the police psychic, we both thought the interview was bullshit but I think by then we were already too interested in each other._

 _I mean I look like you Mama, I_ was _pretty damn cute._

* * *

 **Thank you for the follows, favs, support, and reviews everyone. Clean Slate is officially done. This has been a long journey, and I'll admit I fell off the train when I had to start doing wedding plans and all that insanity, but I refused to let this project stay incomplete.**

 **Thank you again, for everything, and I hope that you enjoy this story enough to give it a fav now that it's done. If not that's okay too, I appreciate you guys at least reading it :)**


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